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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



Fortnight 

in 

London Schools 



By D. WALTER POTTS, 

Supervising Principal Horace Mann School, 

East St. Louis, Illinois. 



Press of 

Printing & Stationery Company 

Litchfield, Illinois. 






Copyright 1909 

By 
D. Walter Potts. 



©CLA283' 



* 



\ 




D. WALTER POTTS 



RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 

TO THE 

EAST ST. LOUIS BOARD OF EDUCATION. 



CONTENTS' 

America's Position 7 

Alfred Mosely, The New Horace Mann 12 

An Epitome of Primary Education in England 18 

Courtesies Extended 28 

School Buildings 30 

Great Britian's National School System 35 

School Organization 43 

Types of Schools 45 

Papers Set for Competitive Examination 51 

School Visitation 63 

Special Features 108 

British Report of British Schools 123 

Excerpts From Reports of The Mosely Commission 125 



FOREWORD 



The following detailed report of the British School System 
is intended to give to the reader a correct impression of the 
status of elementary educational facilities in England 
to-day. The author had but one object in view in the effort 
expended in gathering the material for this little volume : That 
our people might become thoroughly conversant with educa- 
tional conditions in England. 

No effort has been made to emphasize defects, nor to eulo- 
gize strong points in the school system. A fair and impartial 
report was in the mind of the visitor at all times. 

Copies of text books, pamphlets, rules and regulations, syl- 
labi, etc., may be inspected at the office of the Superintendent 
of Schools. 

That the Board of Education may see some results among 
us, from a critical study of this report, is the hope of all in- 
terested in educational progress. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 



Learning from the Executive Office that great confidence was 
reposed in the ability of John Richardson, Headmaster of the 
Sandford Row L. C. C. School for Boys, I decided that any 
information received from him would be authoritative. I found 
in him a thorough gentleman, an educational leader, and a 
student of educational topics. To him I am indebted for the 
History of Primary Education in England. Pie used every ef- 
fort to furnish me with any information which he considered 
useful for my report. For his untiring efforts in my behalf 
and for his demeanor towards me, I am sincerely thankful. 

To Alfred Mosely, that lover of all mankind, I owe a debt 
of gratitude for his personal attention and for assistance ren- 
dered. I trust I may be a better school man from having come 
under his influence. 

To the Executive Office where I received much informa- 
tion embodied in this report, I acknowledge my indebtedness. 
I received nothing but the kindest consideration from all em- 
ployees in this great building. 



AMERICA'S POSITION. 



The American people, as a whole, are not fully cognizant of 
the tremendous force operating in this country under the name 
of Education; neither do we realize nor fully appreciate its 
present status. Born and reared in this country, and therefore 
accustomed to our beneficent environment, many of us do not 
consider our wonderful advantages and the great progress 
which has been made along educational lines since our fore- 
fathers, seeking for more liberty — religious and political — 
left their boyhood homes and landed on that "bleak New 
England shore" where they endured privation with that forti- 
tude which spells ultimate success in any enterprise. 

Many people are prone to criticise present conditions in 
education and society, because they have had but little to do 
with the development of these subjects to their present stand- 
ards ; they are the recipients of many benefactions, the origin 
of which they have not given due consideration. A compari- 
son of conditions in America with those of foreign lands — coun- 
tries which have had hundreds of years in which to bring to 
a high state of development those subjects so vital to the well- 
being of every inhabitant, will unquestionably result in bring- 
ing the average American to a deeper sense of his obligation 
to a country which is so democratically providing for his every 
need. The principle "that all men are created equal; that 
they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable 
rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of 



8 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

happiness" — this principle is now so thoroughly established 
in this country that many of us fail to remember that all na- 
tions are not so humanely governed. 

America is a new nation. We are constantly reminded of 
this in current numbers of the best magazines, histories and 
other literature so abundant in this land. Students of his- 
tory — of the rise and fall of nations — remember with admira- 
tion the heroic men and women who were instrumental in up- 
lifting the race at different periods of the world's history. 

We recite with some gusto, and in a thankful spirit, the 
records of obstacles overcome in the early centuries, and be- 
come so satiated with these reports that we forget, as it were, 
that we live in a land which has done more for the progress — 
education — of the race than any nation having a record on the 
pages of history. 

Yes, America is a new nation — a very young daughter when 
compared to the nations which had years of opportunity for 
progress, before the birthplace of this daughter was known! 
Yet, in less than three hundred years she has developed an 
altruistic spirit which all foreign nations look upon with 
marvel ! 

Since the Spanish-American war, and our acquisition of the 
Philippines ; our tendency to increase the standing army and 
increase the efficiency of our navy; our active participation in 
the various movements which concern all civilized nations ; our 
declaration that we are determined to carry to a successful con- 
clusion the proposed Panama Canal ; our now recognized ability 
to promptly and effectively execute the principle enunciated in 
the Monroe Doctrine, — all of these things have had an influence 
in centering the eyes of the world upon us, resulting in remov- 
ing any doubt which might have been in the minds of any that 
we are really a world power. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 9 

Americans have long thought that we were high on the grad- 
uated scale of world powers. We knew something of our 
capabilities, but for obvious reasons opportunities were seldom 
presented which permitted us to make a practical demonstra- 
tion of our suppositions. Located as we are on the western 
hemisphere, and having no special interests not connected with 
the new world, our attention and efforts have been given 
towards the development of this great western country. Our 
neighbors have failed to keep pace with our development and 
eastern nations have long considered us as a kind of foster 
father to these recalcitrant brothers. 

Not until recent years did our personal interests touch to 
any appreciable extent the border of any foreign nation. We 
were not considered as eligible to membership in the confer- 
ences of the eastern powers. We were an isolated country, 
had business of our own, and developments have proven that 
we were not derelict to our duty. 

Since responsibilities were assumed in the far East, it has 
given us a recognition in the councils of the powers, resulting 
in our personality as a nation being more duly considered. 

Educationally, we have not in the past been recognized as 
one of the leading nations. The old universities of England 
and continental Europe have been able to successfully hold the 
prestige which they attained in early days. True, these uni- 
versities serve but a very small portion of the people, but 
nevertheless the influence of these educational centers is world- 
wide. 

Pestalozzi, Froebel, Comenius and Rosseau caused an 
awakening in their native countries which influenced every civ- 
ilized nation ; we acknowledge the force of their influence. We 
are not unmindful of the fact that great educators now live in 
foreign lands, but we are just beginning to appreciate that in 



10 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

our own country we have educational leaders the equal of any 
in foreign countries. 

People in America have been so busy developing the re- 
sources of this great country, that they have failed to prop- 
erly appreciate the wonderful progress made along education- 
al lines. The products of American schools have gone into 
foreign countries and successfully competed with their best 
home talent. In fact, the superior qualifications of two Ameri- 
can engineers who were working in Africa, resulted in the 
Mosely Commission and the return visit of five hundred Ameri- 
can teachers to the British Isles. 

The wonderful advantages offered every boy and girl in 
America to secure an education equal to that received at the 
best foreign universities, and with but little or no cost — this 
generosity on the part of America has excited the admiration 
of the world. 

Foreigners, who have either visited our country or who have 
studied our educational facilities, have with few exceptions, 
acknowledged the superior products of our schools. True, 
some of them explain this superiority by stating that this west- 
ern country offers opportunities for developing grit, deter- 
mination and energy which the older and more populous coun- 
tries cannot parallel. Others explain that this country was 
settled by the very best blood of all other countries, an in- 
heritance now enjoyed, and the fruits of which are plainly 
evident. Still, others declare that the universal desire in 
America to have all the people receive an education will ac- 
count for the initiative and power resident in the greater por- 
tion of the American population. Whatever may be the true 
reason for our great progress along many lines, the fact still 
remains that our superiority in many ways is now acknowledg- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 11 

ed by foreign countries, not the least of which is our pres- 
ent system of education. 

This recognition of our educational system, or systems, by 
foreign nations — countries which have records for educational 
progress, has resulted in an introspection which must arouse 
every American to an appreciation of his privilege and duty 
in assisting those directly connected with our educational in- 
stitutions and help them to so outline a line of progress that 
our schools may produce a race of men and women thoroughly 
able to cope with all questions which meet one in his chosen 
line of activity. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 13 

sique, a keen eye and a well-organized brain; a man not only 
willing but anxious to profit from the experience of those 
who have made investigations not particularly within his 
sphere of activity. 

Mr. Mosely wastes no time in formalities ; he is courteous, 
obliging and considerate, but back of all this is his intense de- 
sire for knowledge which may be utilized in influencing to 
greater effort, those in charge of the educational problems in 
England. I found him to be a good questioner, and I was 
particularly busy answering the queries propounded to me 
during that hour. I learned from him what prompted the 
first Mosely Commission sent to the United States in 1903 to 
study our educational system, which was followed by the sec- 
ond Mosely Commission in 1904, and the complimentary return 
visit of the five hundred American teachers to England during 
1908. 

After a time spent with this king of finance, for he is a 
diamond merchant and operator of London, he presented me 
with a copy of the "Report of the Mosely Educational Com- 
mission to the United States of America, October-December, 
1903." 

The personnel of this commission shows Mr. Mosely 's thor- 
oughness when he attempts a problem; that he intended satis- 
fying himself, and incidentally the people of England as to 
what the schools of America were doing for her citizens, is 
evinced by an inspection of the following representative 
names : 

Arthur Anderton, Esq., J. P., Alderman and Chairman of the 
Technical Instruction Committee of the West Riding County 
Council. 

Henry E. Armstrong, Esq., Ph. D. LL. D., F. R. S., V. P. C. S. 



14 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

Professor of Chemistry in the City and Guilds of London Cen- 
tral Institute. 

W. E. Ayrton, Esq., F. R. S., Professor of Physics in the 
City and Guilds of London, Past President of the Institution 
of Electrical Engineers. 

Thomas Barclay, Esq., LL. B., Ph. D., late President of 
the Paris Chamber of Commerce. 

A. W. Black, Esq., J. P., Mayor of Nottingham, Chairman 
of the Nottingham Education Committee. 

R. Blair, Esq., M. A. (Edin) B. Sc. (Lond), Assistant Secre- 
tary for Technical Education of the Department of Agriculture 
and Technical Instruction, Ireland. 

J. Rose Bradford, Esq., M. D. (London) D. Sc, F. R. C. P., 
F. R. S. Professor of Medicine, University College, London. 

Harry Coward, Esq., President of the National Union of 
Teachers. 

The Rev. Professor Finlay, S. J. F. R. U. I., Professor of Po- 
litical Economy University College, Dublin. 

T. Gregory Foster, Esq., B. A., Ph. D., Assistant Professor of 
English in University College, London. 

W. C. Fletcher, Esq., M. A. late Fellow of St. John's Col- 
lege, Cambridge; Head Master of the Liverpool Institute, 
Liverpool. 

W. H. Gaskell, Esq., M. D., LL. D., F. R. S., Fellow of Trin- 
ity Hall, Cambridge ; University Lecturer in Physiology. 

The Rev. H. B. Gray, D. D. (Oxford), Warden of Bradfield 
College. 

W. P. Groser, Esq., of the Inner Temple, (Representing the 
Parliamentary Industry Committee, and to inquire into Legal 
Education.) 

Alderman J. R. Heape, J. P., Vice-Chairman of the Educa- 
tion Committee, Chairman of the Rochdale Technical School. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 15 

The Rev. A. W. Jepson, M. A., Member of the London School 
Board. 

Magnus Maclean, Esq., M. A., D. SC., F. R. S. E., Professor 
of Electrical Engineering in Glasgow and West of Scotland 
Technical College, Glasgow. 

The Rev. T. L. Papillon, M. A. Vicar of Writtle, Essex ; late 
Fellow and Tutor of New College, Oxford ; formerly Fellow of 
Merton College. 

Herbert R. Rathbone, Esq., B. A. Barrister-at-Law, Mem- 
ber of Education Committee, and Deputy Chairman of the 
Committee on Elementary Education, Liverpool. 

H. R. Reichel, Esq., LL. D., late Fellow of All Soul's Col- 
lege, Oxford. Principal of University College of North Wales, 
Bangor, and Member of the Welsh Intermediate Education 
Board. 

John Rhys, Esq., M. A., D. Litt., (Oxford) Hon. LL. D. (Ed- 
inburgh) Professor of Celtic, and Principal of Jesus College, 
Oxford ; Fellow of British Academy. 

W. Ripper, Esq., M. I. C. E., Professor of Engineering in 
University College, Sheffield; Member of Sheffield Education 
Committee. 

Charles Rowley, Esq., M. A., J. P., Member of the Man- 
chester Education Committee and of the Manchester School 
of Technology; Chairman of the Manchester School of Art. 

A. J. Shepheard, Esq., Chairman of the Technical Education 
Board of the London County Council. 

A. Edmund Spender, Esq., B. A., (Oxford) Barrister-at- 
Law; Director of Plymouth Girls' High School. 

John Whitburn, Esq., Member of Education Committee of 
Newcastle — on Tyne. 

In the preface to this report Mr. Mosely says : 

"The story of the origin of the Industrial and Educa- 



16 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

tional Commissions to the United States takes me back 
to South Africa some 15 years ago. I had for many 
years been engaged in mining operations at Kimberley 
which, in common with the work of the great bulk of 
diamond diggers, had proved unremunerative, when Gard- 
ner Williams, the California engineer, arrived in South 
Africa, and took over the management of the De Beers 
Company, which the late Cecil Rhodes was just then amal- 
gamating. Gardner Williams in turn imported the late 
Louis Seymour. To the latter, by the way, the British 
nation owes a debt of gratitude for his engineering work 
in Natal in the early stages of the recent Boer War. By 
repairing bridges as fast as they were destroyed by the 
enemy, and so keeping open the lines of communication 
without which operations in Natal would have been im- 
possible, he and his volunteer company did yeoman ser- 
vice; and ultimately he lost his life whilst leading some 
of his men to cover in the defence of a bridge at Zand 
river. Gardner Williams and Louis Seymour were fol- 
lowed by many other American Engineers, including Per- 
kins, Jennings and Hammond, the last two it is interest- 
ing to note being graduates of Harvard University. Un- 
der the guidance of these able men and many others, the 
development of South Africa was started; and in my 
opinion, her mining centers largely owe their primary 
success and subsequent prosperity to their efforts. * * * 

The success of these engineers turned my attention to 
the United States, and some years ago I paid my first 
visit there for the purpose of seeing what sort of country 
it was that was responsible for sending so many level- 
headed men to the Cape. I spent some months in the 
country investigating, and was astounded at what I saw 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 17 

around me, not so much at the state of development that 
had been reached at that time as at what I discerned of 
the future. I felt that a country teeming with such nat- 
ural resources must, in the hands of capable men thor- 
oughly acquainted with their business, play an important 

part in the future of the world, and was bound to exer- 
cise a far more negligible influence upon the industries 
of the United Kingdom. So far as I was able to ascertain 
the form of education given in the United States is re- 
sponsible for much of its success, and I returned home de- 
termined if possible to get together a party of experts to 

visit the country and test the soundness of my conclu- 



At the conclusion of this report of the English School Sys- 
tem, we shall quote from some of the men who constituted 
the Mosely Commission, asking that this one thing be kept in 
mind; these men were reporting our schools and our entire 
educational machinery for the benefit of Englishmen, not for 
Americans, hence we may plausibly assume that no effort was 
made to unduly eulogize American institutions. 



AN EPITOME OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN ENGLAND. 



We of the new world have a tendency to give undue impor- 
tance to most things connected with the oriental world; reali- 
zing that time is an essential element in the evolution of any 
subject, we are prone to give too great consideration to this 
one phase of the question, allowing this to partially eclipse 
other and equally important elements. 

We forget, for the time, that the people who came to Ameri- 
ca in the seventeenth century had powers equal, if not super- 
ior, to many who preferred to remain at home where fewer ob- 
stacles had to be overcome. We forget, temporarily, that the 
people landing on Amercian soil in 1620 came with a per- 
sonal knowledge of previous conditions which acted as a pow- 
erful stimuli to them in early cultivating more liberality in 
speech, religion and knowledge. These colonists sowed the 
seed on American soil which produced that altruistic spirit ex- 
emplified today in every man bearing cheerfully his portion 
of the taxes that universal education may obtain. 

Again, these colonists were not hindered in the new world 
by precedent — many times a powerful factor. All things be- 
ing new, they had the option of choosing those things which 
had proven beneficial, and discarding those precedents which 
through great conservatism, had limited initiative and inde- 
pendent thought. 

America then, did not open her career with the barbarous 
and semi-civilized and through a long and laborious procedure 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 19 

by actual experience evolve those principles upon which a na- 
tion may safely exist. We had as our capital stock the ex- 
periences of ages before us; we had a new field, the very at- 
mosphere of which prompted one to greater effort; we were 
not manacled with precedents which had been repeatedly prov- 
en to be detrimental to our progress. 

The character of the first colonists was sufficient to guaran- 
tee a great onward movement, when properly environed. 
America then, though a young nation, might have been ex- 
pected to outdistance her competitors in all lines where initia- 
tive, vigor, independence and fortitude were propelling ele- 
ments. 

In order to more fully appreciate the status of education in 
England today, it might be well to briefly review her history 
of educational effort. 

Primary education, in the sense of an education which could 
be taken advantage of by the workers in the towns and the 
peasantry in the country, can hardly be said to have existed 
in England before the close of the eighteenth century or the 
opening of the nineteenth century. It is true that charity 
schools, supported by the City Companies were to be found in 
Central London, and that the village and town Dame schools 
could be found here and there, but the proportion of children 
receiving any education whatever was lamentably small— per- 
haps one in twenty. Even in these schools there is every 
reason to suppose that the instruction was individual, and that 
there was little, if any, system of organization. 

Robert Raikes established Sunday Schools in England in 
1781. The difficulties of the Sunday School teaching called 
attention to the poverty of the day school teaching and organ- 
ization, and no doubt served as a mighty force to awaken the 



2 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

public mind to the necessity of more education prevailing 
among the masses. 

In 1798 two systems of organization, neither of which pro- 
vided for free education, were introduced into England, the 
first English schools of the new plan being established in Lon- 
don. 

At this time George Washington had served two terms as 
president of the United States, and had been succeeded by 
John Adams. One hundred forty nine years prior to this date 
free schools were established in Massachusetts. 

The two systems of organization introduced in 1798 were 
known as the Dr. Bell or the Madras System, and the Lan- 
caster or British System. 

The former system originated in Madras in 1787 and was 
introduced into England eleven years later. Its main feature 
was that the master in all his relations to his school was to 
act vicariously. All the teachers were selected from among 
the boys themselves. The school was also managed through 
the agency of the boys. The organization was very elaborate, 
and compared with what it superseded, very efficient. The 
teaching staff consisted of tutors, who helped in the prepara- 
tion of lessons ; assistants who overlooked the tutors during 
the preparation of the lesson, and examined the class after- 
wards ; and examiners who had charge of two or three classes, 
which they had to examine in turn to stimulate both assistants 
and tutors, and to pass forward the proficient. The manag- 
ing staff consisted of sub-ushers who had in charge the order 
of the classes, the supply of books, slates, and other things in 
use; an usher who was a sort of general superintendent, and 
had charge of the drill and changes. The classification of the 
children was based on reading. The classes were large and 
were arranged in the form of a hollow square. The school 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 21 

room had desks fastened to the wall, so that the children faced 
it when writing. There was a platform from which all orders 
were issued. 

Joseph Lancaster opened a school in Southwark in 1798 
and introduced into it the monitorial system. His teaching 
and managing staff differed little from that of Bell's, but he 
improved materially his classification. He formed his school 
into two great divisions, the classes in the lower division to be 
employed in acquiring the elementary arts, those in the upper 
division to be taught to apply them to the acquisition of other 
learning. His classes were subdivided into drafts of ten, to 
secure to each child sufficient practice and individual atten- 
tion. He also had arithmetic taught simultaneously in all 
classes so that he might classify the children in this subject ac- 
cording to their advancement. His school room was in length 
twice the width, had desks placed in parallel rows down the 
center, drafts round the room facing the wall, and a platform 
at one end of the room. 

The chief interest in the introduction of the system of Bell 
and Lancaster lies not so much in the fact that they were the 
beginning of the primary school system in England, but rather 
in the fact that from this time — and from these systems in- 
directly — springs the religious difficulty in England's pri- 
mary schools of today. 

Lancaster advocated no sectarian teaching whatever in his 
schools; Bell — a churchman — was in favor of the children be- 
ing instructed in the church catechism. By a churchman is 
meant a member of the established Church of England; mem- 
bers of other churches, Presbyterians, Wesleyans, Baptists, etc., 
are known as Non-Conformists or Dissenters. The attempt to 
execute these two diametrical policies originated a controversy 
which has influenced universal education from that day to 



22 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

this. Today England is trying to solve this vexatious prob- 
lem. She is moving slowly and the indications are that from 
policies now being adopted she will ultimately solve this — 
the greatest problem in her elementary education. 

In the controversy mentioned, the church party — Established 
Church — gave their support to Bell, finally founding the Na- 
tional Society for the promotion of education of the poor in 
the principles of the Established Church. 

Lancaster, a Quaker, had as his supporters the Non-Conform- 
ists who assisted him in founding the British and Foreign So- 
ciety. The National Society was stronger in the country 
districts, while the British and Foreign Society had the strong- 
er support in the large towns. 

For the next thirty years, the State still holding aloof from 
subsidising elementary education, these two societies did the 
work of erecting schools and training teachers. The head- 
master who gave me this information was trained in a teach- 
ers' training school of the British and Foreign Society. The 
expense for conducting the work during these thirty years was 
met by public subscription. 

In 1833, a year after England passed her great reform bill, 
the first parliamentary grant of one hundred thousand dollars 
was voted for the purpose of elementary education, and the 
two societies — National, and the British and Foreign Societies 
— took the grant between them. 

At this time, 1833, it was reckoned that one child out of 
fourteen of school age, was receiving education. England at 
this time was the only country in Europe without a State 
Board of Education. 

In 1839 a State Committee of Education was established — 
the first English State Education department, but education 
was not compulsory, neither was it free, except in the very 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 23 

poorest districts where "Ragged Schools" were established. 
One hundred ninety years prior to this date free schools were 
established in Massachusetts. 

The government appointed Inspectors of Schools, introduced 
a system of apprenticeship — the apprentices were called pupil- 
teachers — and founded a system of bursaries, or Queen's Schol- 
arships, by which pupil-teachers were enabled to spend one or 
two years at a Training College, after their apprenticeship was 
finished. 

Today England has no State Training Colleges or Normal 
Schools. Until quite recently all colleges were controlled by 
the National and British and Foreign Societies. There are now, 
however, some County Councils which have their own train- 
ing colleges for teachers. Just here a brief history of our 
Normal Schools would add greatly to our appreciation of our 
advantages, but lack of space forbids this departure from 
the subject. 

Those pupil teachers who availed themselves of the oppor- 
tunity of attending the training colleges, were, at the end of 
the period of training, granted a certificate and were known 
as trained certificated teachers. A certificate could be granted 
without the two years' training but the teacher was termed 
an uncertificated teacher. 

Thirty-five years after the introduction of the Bell and Lan- 
caster system, we notice that the government made its first 
appropriation for elementary educational purposes. During 
the next thirty-seven years the government continued these 
grants to the two societies, but neither erected nor managed 
the schools. The grants from year to year varied according 
to attendance and to results obtained from examinations. This 
"pernicious system of payment by results" was introduced into 
the English system about 1860 and continued until 1902. 



24 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

Briefly, the plan was to pay to the different schools, govern- 
ment grants according to results obtained from examining the 
pupils in Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. The results were, 
according to many teachers who conversed freely concerning 
the law, that reading, writing and arithmetic were given al- 
most the entire time, to the exclusion of all other school sub- 
jects. They also stated that a "system of cramming was in- 
augurated, the like of which probably will never be equaled." 
The life of the school depended upon its annual grant, and this 
grant depended upon the examination results of the pupils 
in attendance. Professor Rhys, one of the Mosely Commis- 
sioners says he "took part in administering for five years the 
sterile code of Robert Lowe." 

Schools conducted in this manner might be said to operate 
under a semi-state system; the two societies furnishing all 
buildings, teachers, etc., while the government assisted the 
work by making yearly appropriations. These grants during 
this time approximated $5.00 per pupil based as stated on at- 
tendance and examinations. 

In 1870 the Elementary Education Act was passed; the 
country was divided into school districts and each district 
could — not must — establish a board known as the School Board, 
who were empowered to erect and equip schools which were 
to be maintained partly by government grants as before, and 
partly by rates levied in the district. Attendance at some 
recognized schools was made compulsory in 1876 for pupils be- 
tween the ages of five, and eleven to fourteen years. 

Each district was obliged to provide sufficient school ac- 
commodations, but the accommodations might be of the na- 
ture of the schools maintained by the two societies — National, 
and the British and Foreign societies, on government grants and 
voluntary subscriptions, or of the nature of Board schools 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 25 

maintained by the government grants and aid from local tax- 
ation. 

The former class of schools were now called Voluntary 
Schools because of voluntary subscriptions, — the latter were 
known as Board Schools. 

Gradually all the schools of the British and Foreign Society 
and almost all those of other non-sectarian and Non Conform- 
ist bodies were surrendered to School Boards, while the schools 
of the National Society would accept government grants only, 
and so be permitted to teach church principles, doctrines and 
the church catechism. In all Board Schools Bible reading and 
lessons from the Bible were allowed. Voluntary Schools now 
became synonymous with Church Schools. 

In this manner was reared a double system of schools— Board 
Schools well equipped from government grants and local tax- 
ation, and Voluntary Schools more meagerly equipped and 
often educationally half-starved on government grants and 
voluntary subscriptions, which subscriptions were naturally 
becoming less and less. 

In 1902 — in London 1904 — a really national system of ele- 
mentary schools was established. The School Boards were 
abolished and education was handed over to the Borough and 
County Councils, which were to have charge of all elementary 
schools in so far as payment of teachers, provision of appli- 
ances, etc., etc., were concerned, but where a school main- 
tained the right of the old National Society to give denomina- 
tional religious instruction, the building or school fabric was 
to continue to be maintained by private subscriptions. 

I found it a difficult matter to secure definite information 
concerning the organization of the London County Council 
with reference to the conduction of the L. C. C. schools. From 
rather an authoritative source I learned that the London 



26 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

County Council selects definite members of that body, whose 
duty it is to see that the schools are conducted according to 
law, superintend the payment of grants, employ teachers, 
erect buildings, provide rules and regulations concerning school 
questions, etc., etc. I also learned that the Council has author- 
ity to coopt other residents of the county, men and women 
who have scholastic attainments and great executive ability. 
In this way London is today conducting her schools for ele- 
mentary education. 

In Middlesboro, England, the headmaster of one of the 
schools is a coopted member of the Council. He told me that 
he was selected that the Council might at any time have defi- 
nite information from one of its members concerning the inter- 
nal workings of the schools of Middlesboro. 

Schools which are wholly maintained by the councils are 
called Provided Schools ; other elementary schools, chiefly 
Church schools are known as Non Provided Schools. 

In Non-Provided Schools the selection of teachers is in the 
hands of the managers, subject to the consent of the council. 
The managers are obligated to keep the school buildings in an 
efficient state. In Middlesboro, the chairman of the Board 
of Managers is the pastor of the Wesleyan church there. Dur- 
ing my visit to one of the schools in Middlesboro I met this 
official who utilized the opportunity of acquainting himself 
with our general school system. 

The Act of 1902 also empowered Borough and County Coun- 
cils to build and equip Secondary schools and to give grants to 
existing Secondary and Technical schools. 

In England today there are 7,203 Council Schools accommo- 
dating 3,651,537 children. There are 13,310 Non-Provided 
Schools accommodating 3,393,704 children. The Non-Provid- 
ed schools are distributed as follows : Church of England 11,- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 27 

274 accommodating 2,681,442 children. Wesleyan schools 
319 accommodating 117,047 children. Catholic schools, 1,061 
accommodating 406,137 children. Jewish schools 12 accommo- 
dating 10,902 children. Other Church schools 644 accommo- 
dating 178,176 children. 

In London there are at present 543 Provided schools, or Lon- 
don County Council schools with an accommodation for 603,- 
952 children. There are 371 Non-Provided schools accommo- 
dating 159,623 children. In addition there are a few ele- 
mentary schools which are not in receipt of government grants 
and are outside the municipal administration. 

The teaching staff for all kinds of schools in London num- 
bers 20,000. In the elementary schools there are about 15,100 
certificated teachers, of whom about 4,700 are men and 10,400 
are women. Of these about 11,000 (4,000 men and 7,000 
women) have been trained i. e. have been through a course at 
a training college. There are some 1,200 teachers in Non-Pro- 
vided schools who are not certificated. 

On the average a teacher spends twenty years in the service 
before being promoted to a headmastership. Some eighty 
headmasterships fall vacant every year, and appointments to 
these posts are almost without exception from within the ser- 
vice. There is a standing list of two thousand applicants for 
headmasterships, and a "waiting list" of seventy-five, from 
which appointments are made from time to time. 



COURTESIES EXTENDED. 



After my conference with Mr. Mosely he presented me with 
the following letter of introduction : 

Alfred Mosely, Union Bank Building, Ely Place 

Telegrams : — ' ' Bluebottle — London ' '. 
Codes (A. B. C. 4th. Edition) 
(Moreing & Neal) 

Telephone : 9164 Central London, 4th. Septr. 1908 

E. C. 
R. Blair, Esq., 

L. C. C. Education Department, 
Victoria Embankment, 

W. C. 
The bearer of this letter, Mr. D. Walter Potts, is an American 
Teacher now visiting England. 

For any courtesy and assistance rendered to him I shall be 
obliged. A. MOSELY. 

With this letter I presented myself at the office of the Lon- 
don County Council where I met Mr. Blair's secretary. After 
reading the letter and very courteously inquiring just what 
phase of the school work most interested me, he promised 
to mail to my hotel on the following morning — which promise 
was faithfully kept — permits to visit such schools as would 
best exemplify the work I wished to investigate. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 29 

These permits to the various schools read as follows : 

London County Council 
Education Department (Executive) 

Victoria Embankment, W. C. 

To 

School. 

Please allow the bearer, Mr. D. "Walter Potts to see the 

work of your school on this week and afford 

him every facility for obtaining the information he desires. 

R. BLAIR, 
September, 1908. Executive Officer. 

I give the above in detail to illustrate the willingness of 
the Executive department to have foreign teachers see the 
work of the London Schools. You will observe also that the 
phraseology of this permit gave me great boldness to make 
such inquiries as I thought necessary to a comprehension of the 
work. Whether or not I fully utilized my opportunities I 
leave for the consideration of the reader. 



SCHOOL BUILDINGS. 



Traveling diagonally across England from Dover to Liver- 
pool not a building of any kind was seen that was not con- 
structed of brick or stone, hence one might expect the school 
buildings to be constructed of some material other than wood. 

These buildings are usually three stories in height, built of 
brick other than our pressed variety. They have no archi- 
tectural front as it were, the entrances being either 
level with the adjoining territory, or elevated but a few feet. 
There are no basements as we have in America, the first floor 
serving for school purposes the same as the second and third 
floors. Each story or floor is modeled on the same general 
plan ; the rooms are arranged across each end of the building, 
along one side, and generally a room at each corner of the 
building on the other side. This leaves a large space on one 
side of the building which is the office of the headmaster or 
headmistress. In this room is the headmaster's desk, book- 
cases, cases for geographical work, nature study, museums, 
etc. This room is also used for calisthenic work, marching, 
chorus singing and other similar purposes. The floor is laid 
with small strips of wood, making a very solid and comfortable 
appearance. 

The school rooms vary in size in most buildings; some of 
them approach in dimensions an ordinary American school 
room, while others are much smaller. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 31 

The walls are not plastered, in fact one sees no plastering in 
any of these buildings aside from what he sees on the ceilings 
of the rooms. The brick walls are all glazed, where exposed, 
making a very good finish. 

The steps leading into and through the buildings are made 
of granitoid ; these with the adjacent brick walls make danger 
from fires very remote. 

The floors in the school rooms are not on a level as we have 
ours; the first row of desks are on a level with the teacher's 
desk; the next row is elevated about twelve inches; the next 
row about twelve inches higher, etc., etc., making the last row 
of desks considerably above the level of the floor in front of 
the room. 

Some splendid pictures were seen in the offices of the 
headmasters and headmistresses, but the school rooms were 
not so well provided. 

The pupils' desks are built after a peculiar pattern; instead 
of a desk having a front and back, as we have in our schools, — 
a seat in the front and a desk in the rear, the seat and desk 
are one — the seat in the rear and the desk in front. The 
seat and desk are supported by upright pieces of iron, which 
connect with a solid piece of iron lying on the floor, forming 
a framework for the seat and desk, something after the order 
of the letter U if it had rectangular corners. The top of the 
desk is in two sections, connected by a hinge which allows 
the front portion to be raised; this is frequently done unless 
the top of the desk is wanted for writing purposes. In many 
of these desks there is no back or support for the pupil, but 
this inconvenience is frequently obviated by placing the seat 
of one desk in close proximinity to the desk proper of the seat 
in the rear. I hardly think these desks are as comfortable, 
even when so arranged, as our modern desks, but they seem 



32 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

to cause little if any dissatisfaction. I saw no single desks, 
and I was informed that even double desks were rather a new 
departure in many schools. 

The aisles are very narrow. I found it difficult in many cases 
to walk "up" the narrow passageways; since I am not classed 
as a heavy weight, I wonder how some of the masters and mis- 
tresses inspected the work of the pupils in the rear seats. 

There are no blackboards in any of the schools. The walls 
exhibit nothing but glazed brick, unless some picture or map 
breaks the monotony. I rather expected from the criticism 
of American schools by one member of the Mosely Commission 
that I should find an abundance of pictures and works of art 
in every school room, but to my astonishment I discovered that 
East St. Louis far surpasses them in this particular. 

One peculiarity of the wall maps which I noticed was this : 

. in many of the rooms no territory was shown that did not be- 

■^ long to, or that was not controlled by Great Britian. The map 

showing the Dominion of Canada gave no indication that there 

is any territory south of this treasured possession. 

On an easel in front of the room is a portable blackboard 
averaging in size two and one-half or three feet square. This 
is for the teacher's use in exemplifying the work and for giv- 
ing to the pupils outlines for the lessons. I observed one master 
solving a problem for the pupils; after using all the space 
available, he erased that at the top of the board, concluding 
the work on the space thus supplied. 

Many of the buildings have no steam, hot air nor hot water 
heat; a grate in each room and in the headmaster's office is the 
only means provided for warming the rooms. Of course Eng- 
land has not the extremes in climate that we experience, yet 
that these grates do not always give satisfaction I shall show 
in the report of one of the teachers. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 33 

The buildings recently erected have teachers' rooms and a 
small room where the pupils may wash their hands and faces ; 
towels, mirrors, etc., are furnished as we do in East St. Louis. 

Since the first floor of the buildings are utilized for regular 
school purposes, the toilets are all placed in specially construct- 
ed buildings in the yards. These buildings are of the usual 
pattern and size, and afford the conveniences usually found in 
our country school districts. 

The yards of school buildings are fenced; usually a brick 
wall about six or eight feet in height serves this purpose. 
Iron gates are placed at openings in the wall, and in many 
schools these gates are closed during school hours. 

The surface of the school yards is granitoid and in most 
cases these yards are much too small to accommodate the chil- 
dren during intermission. In some cases recreation grounds 
have been constructed on the roofs of the buildings, and a 
visit to one of these confirmed the wisdom of the County Coun- 
cil in thus utilizing what would otherwise be waste space. 
The floors of these roof playgrounds are also of granitoid, and 
surrounded as they are by high brick walls, they serve to re- 
lieve the congested condition of the playgrounds "on the 
earth." 

The janitor — "school keeper" — lives in a building placed 
within the school grounds. He is employed twelve months in 
the year and has charge of the school grounds when they are 
used during the evenings and vacation as recreation grounds 
by the children of the vicinity. In buildings having a regular 
system of heating the school keeper receives about $11.00 per 
week. He performs the usual duties of a janitor, aside from 
the fact that he washes no windows; this is under the direct 
control of the London County Council. The windows are usu- 
ally washed four times during the year. In buildings having 



34 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

twenty-four school rooms, the school keeper is allowed six 
assistants who receive ten cents per hour for time actually 
employed. The janitor is not responsible for the amount of 
heat generated; this is in the hands of a fireman who re- 
ceives $5.00 per week. 

If one wishes to enter the school grounds of many of the 
buildings he uses a "pull-bell" near the gate in the wall sur- 
rounding the building; the janitor answers this bell and ad- 
mits you if your appearance is such as to warrant it. 



GREAT BRITAIN'S NATIONAL SCHCCL SYSTEM. 



We have previously stated that England now has a national 
system of schools. This means that some of the schools are 
under the direct control of the national government. His 
Majesty's government issues and revises when necessary the 
''Code of Regulations for Public Elementary Schools in Eng- 
land, with Schedules", which gives in most cases general di- 
rections and suggestions as to how the schools shall be con- 
ducted if government grants are expected. 

In this Code we find a rather definite curriculum, including 
hand writing, arithmetic, drawing, observation lessons and na- 
ture study, geography, history, music, hygiene and physical 
training, domestic subjects, manual training, moral instruc- 
tion, etc. 

A general syllabus of the work is outlined, upon which the 
headmasters and headmistresses of the different schools are to 
base the syllabi prepared for the schools. This is the only 
course of study used in the British Isles. The County Council 
issues a supplementary Code and Syllabus, but it differs from 
His Majesty's Code in that the directions are more specific. 
Requesting some of the headmasters for their course of study 
I was given a syllabus, prepared by the headmaster of that 
school; the syllabus had been ratified by one of His Majesty's 
Inspectors. In this syllabus which I examined during the 
week I was permitted to have it in my possession, I found in 



36 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

addition to the branches mentioned above, physics, chemistry 
and botany. This syllabus was for a higher elementary school 
which will be fully explained later in this report. 
Quoting from His Majesty's Code we find: 

' ' The board of Education or the Inspector who visits the 
school, may require any syllabus to be submitted for ap- 
proval. The Board may require the modification of any 
syllabus which is unsuitable." 

"The time for opening and closing school and the time 
during which instruction is given each subject of the 
school curriculum must be entered in the Time Table." 

"Every Time Table must bear upon it a certificate 
either by the Local Education Authority or one of its offi- 
cers that it has been approved by the Authority or by the 
Managers that to the best of their knowledge it conflicts 
with no by-law as to school attendance or direction as to 
secular instruction, made or given by the Local Educa- 
tion Authority under the Education Acts of 1870 to 1904. 
"The Inspector, where he considers it desirable, may 
hold an oral or written examination of any class in the 
school on the work done in the class since the commence- 
ment of the current year of instruction." 
In addition to the above regulations we find specific instruc- 
tions concerning the efficiency of the teaching staff; conditions 
of employment of teachers; premises, accommodation and 
equipment ; inspection and reports ; conditions to be met if an- 
nual grants are received; grants for instruction in special 
branches; recording pupils' attendance; recognition of certif- 
icated and uncertificated teachers ; regulations as to school rec- 
ords and registration ; methods of examination ; and many other 
specific regulations concerning the rules and regulations of 
the school. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 



37 



In addition to the "Code of Regulations for Public Elemen- 
tary Schools" issued by the Crown, each County Council may, 
and usually does issue a "School Management Code" which 
has local authority only. This "School Management Code" 
bears the same relation to His Majesty's code that the consti- 
tution of the state of Illinois bears to our national constitu- 
tion. 

Examining these codes one finds specific, minute details 
worked out almost to infinity. There need be no misunder- 
standing among teachers and school officers as to their powers 
and limitations. In fact we teachers in America, accustomed 
to a greater exercise in initiative would find these codes an 
impediment to our progress. 



The index to the "School Management Code" deals with 
over eight hundred subjects. From this code we quote the fol- 
lowing: 

"It is also the duty of managers to occasionally examine 
the teacher's time books to see that the entries therein 
are made personally by each teacher." 

"Managers should be present occasionally ten minutes 
before the time for commencing school to see that the 
teachers are in their places." 

Grading of Schools and Salaries. 



Accommodation. 



Head Masters of 

Boys' or Mixed 

Schools. 



Head Mistresses 

of Girls' or 
Mixed Schools. 



Head Mistresses 

of Infants' 

Schools. 



Grade 1—200 or under 
" 2— 201 to 300.. 
" 3— 301 to 400 
" 4— 401 to 600. 
" 5— over 600... 



£ 
175-200 
200—250 
250—300 
300-350 
350—400 



£ 
140—150 
150-185 
185—225 
225—260 
260 300 



£ 
140-150 
150—160 
160—180 
180-210 
210—240 



38 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

Head teachers of higher elementary schools and higher 
grade schools are allowed a sum of £20 (men) and £15 
(women), in addition to their scale salaries, provided that 
such addition does not raise the total payment in either 
case, to an amount in excess of the maximum salary of a 
Grade V. head teacher, vi z . : — £400 in the case of men, 
and £300 in the case of women. 

In any case where a teacher is censured by the School 
Management Committee, and the Committee decides that 
such censure shall be followed by pecuniary loss to the 
teacher, the amount of such loss shall be equivalent to 
the amount of one year's ordinary increase of salary, that 
is to say, head or assistant master, £5; head mistress, £4; 
assistant mistress, £3. 

In the month of May in each school the head teachers 
of all departments are required to hold a conference. At 
this conference the question of co-ordination of methods 
of teaching writing, arithmetic and drawing, and other 
subjects where common action is desirable in the various 
departments, is to be discussed, and there should also be 
considered the question how far it is desirable to arrange 
for the recreation time in all departments to be simul- 
taneous. Minutes of the proceedings at this annual con- 
ference are kept in the boys' or senior mixed department 
of each school. This book is the property of the Board, 
and must be accessible to the School Management Com- 
mittee, the Board Inspectors, and H. M. Inspectors. 

A weekly return of the attendance of each child on the 
rolls must be furnished to the visitor (truant officer) of 
the district by 3 o'clock every Friday afternoon on the 
form of the duplicate register or slip provided for the 
purpose. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 3 9 

In the schools provided by the Board the Bible shall be 
read and there shall be given such explanations and such 
instruction therefrom in the principles of the Christian 
Religion and of Morality as are suited to the capacities of 
children, provided always that no attempts be made in any 
such schools to attach children to any particular denom- 
ination. 

The school hours in all Board schools are fixed as fol- 
lows : — 

Morning school 9 a. m. to noon. 

Afternoon school 2 p. m. to 4:30 p .m 

Infants' school may close at 4 p. m. This permission 
does not, however, extend in any case to children in Stand- 
ard I., nor to any who are more than seven years of age. 

The door of the schoolroom is to be closed at 9 o 'clock 
and the roll called and prayers offered. Immediately 
after prayers the doors are to be re-opened, the children 
admitted who have assembled in the meantime, and the 
doors then again closed. From that time up to 9 :40 the 
Bible instruction is to be given. At 9:40 the doors are 
again to be opened, and the roll finally taken, and closed 
by 9 :55. The children assembling during the time when 
the Bible instruction is being given are not to wait in the 
streets, but are to be received into some disengaged room, 
and there receive some kind of instruction. 

The holidays in Board schools are as follows : — 
At Christmas, from the close of the afternoon session 
on the Friday in the week preceding that in which Christ- 
mas Day falls, until the morning of the second Monday 
after Christinas; but whenever Christmas Day falls on a 
Friday the schools are closed at noon on the preceding 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

Thursday, and whenever it falls on a Saturday or Sun- 
day the schools are closed at noon on the preceding Fri- 
day, and, in each case they are to re-open on the morning 
of the third Monday after Christmas Day. 

At Easter, from the close of the afternoon session on the 
Wednesday preceding Good Friday until the morning of 
the second Monday following Good Friday. 

At Whitsuntide, from the close of the afternoon session 
on Friday preceding Whit Monday until the morning of 
Wednesday following Whit Monday. 

In the summer, from the close of the morning session 
on the Thursday preceding the last Monday in July until 
the morning of the fourth Monday in August. 

Lending libraries are provided for the use of scholars of 
Standards III. and upwards. For the replenishing of the 
library an expenditure, reckoned at the rate of %d. per 
head per annum on scholars in average attendance, is al- 
lowed up to a maximum of 12s. a department, except in 
the cases of large Mixed departments, where the full 
amount of ^d. per head is allowed. 

A library of useful books of reference, up to a cost not 
exceeding £5, may be supplied to each permanent school 
for the purpose of providing Teachers with accessible 
sources of information from which to draw materials for 
lessons. A further expenditure of 7s. 6d. per annum for 
each department for the purchase of new books may be 
incurred in the case of each library. 

All books and apparatus are provided for the use of 
scholars without charge. Books marked thus * on the 
Requisition List of Books and Apparatus may be used 
for home lessons at the discretion of the Managers; the 
Teachers are responsible that they are fairly used. Copy- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 41 

books or drawing-books in which exercises are specially 
well executed may be sent as a present to parents. Head 
Teachers in Infants' Schools may allow kindergarten pu- 
pils to take home, and retain, the articles made in these 
classes. 

Prizes are awarded to scholars attending the schools of 
the Board partly as a stimulus to attendance and partly 
as a reward for conduct and industry, according to a 
scheme to be drawn up by the Head Teacher, with the 
approval of the Managers. 

A statement of the grounds on which the prizes are to 
be allotted must be drawn up by the Head Teacher and 
approved by the Managers before the educational year be- 
gins, and hung up, framed, in the hall or in a classroom, 
so that all the children may know what they have to aim 
at. Such scheme should set forth (a) the grounds on 
which prizes are to be given, and (b) the amount to be al- 
lowed in prizes for each class or standard. 

Prize Fund— An amount calculated at the following 
rates, reckoned on the average attendance for the year 
ended on the last Friday before Lady-day preceding the 
commencement of the educational year is allowed annually 
for prizes, viz. : — ■ 

Scholars below Standard 

Scholars in Standard .... 

Scholars in Standard .... 

Scholars in Standard 

Scholars in Standard 

Scholars in Standard. . . . 

Scholars in Standard 

Scholars in Standard 



I... 


%d. 


per head 


I... 


1 d. 


per head 


II... 


2 d. 


per head 


III... 


2V 2 d. 


per head 


IV... 


3V 2 d. 


per head 


V... 


4 x /2d. 


per head 


VI... 


6 d. 


per head 


VII... 


10 %d. 


per head 



42 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

Scholars in Special Schools, (in- 
chiding Blind, Deaf, Physically 
and Mentally Deficient -i d. per head 

A cane or other instrument of punishment author- 
ized by the School Management Committee is provided for 
each department, and when an assistant entrusted with 
the power of inflicting punishment has need for exercising 
that power, the assistant must obtain from the head teach- 
er the instrument of punishment and the punishment 
book ; and, after inflicting the punishment, and entering 
and signing the same in the book, must forthwith return 
both the instrument of punishment and the book to the 
head teacher, who must then initial the entry. The head 
teacher is not to use any discretion in refraining from en- 
tering cases of corporal punishment. 



SCHOOL ORGANIZATION. 



The organization within the school buildings is peculiar. In 
each building there are three distinct schools. The usual ar- 
rangement is as follows: On the first floor is the Infants' 
school, presided over by a headmistress, assisted by women 
teachers; on the second floor is the Girls' school under the 
supervision of a headmistress, assisted by women teachers ; 
on the third floor is the Boys' school, supervised by a head- 
master and assisted by men teachers. This means that each 
building has three principals, each in no way responsible to 
the others for his or her actions, nor for any special school 
regulations necessary to good order within and without the 
building. 

In some schools there is absolutely no co-operation among 
these headmistresses and headmaster. According to a ruling 
of the Board, a conference is held once each year in May to 
consider ways and means, but from conversations I had with 
these authorities I was led to believe that even a kindly feel- 
ing does not always exist. 

The headmistress of the Infants' school makes her syllabus, 
the headmistress of the Girls' school does the same, while the 
headmaster of the Boys' school is entirely independent in his 
actions, so long as he violates no rules of His Majesty's Board, 
nor of the Local Board. 

These syllabi are made in ordinary record books, the work 
being done in ink. The work is not outlined in detail, simply 



44 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

a suggestion of topics to be considered during the year. 

In the Infants ' school we find co-education ; boys and girls 
from three to seven or eight years of age constituting the 
school. Some Infant schools have no standard one; such 
schools promote all pupils seven years of age to the senior 
Boys' and Girls' schools, whether intellectual ability justifies 
such promotion or not. Infant schools maintaining a standard 
one, keep the pupils, if necessary, until they are eight years of 
age, when they too must be sent to the other departments. We 
would ask that you remember this provision, for attention will 
be called to it in describing the Mentally Defective schools. 



TYPES OF SCHOOLS. 



Ordinary. 



London has five hundred Ordinary schools. In some build- 
ings the entire school is of the Ordinary type, while in others 
there is a mixture of the Ordinary and Higher Grade, or Ordi- 
nary and Higher Elementary. 

The Ordinary school is calculated to give a general educa- 
tion in the common branches. Pupils finishing the course here 
have no further opportunity extended of doing any advanced 
work. They finish the course at an average age of thirteen 
years, then secure some kind of employment. Pupils may 
continue in these schools until they are fourteen years of age, 
when they must stop, whether they have completed the work 
or not. 

Higher Grade. 
A Higher Grade school is one receiving the Ordinary ele- 
mentary school government grant only, and has a curriculum 
arranged for boys or girls in standards rV to Ex VII, — ages 
11 to 15. It is in reality a higher standard school and receives 
promising pupils from the neighboring Ordinary schools, hence 
called contributory schools. There is not meant to be any real 
difference in the curricula of the Higher Grade and Higher 
Elementary schools, and as time goes on the government will 
doubtless recognize the Higher Grade school and pay it the 



46 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

Higher Elementary school grant. There are forty four High- 
er Grade Schools in London. 

A Higher Elementary school corresponds more nearly to our 
short term High School, except that pupils are admitted to 
it at eleven years of age. It is the highest institution of 
learning where the tuition is free. Of the many schools in 
London, but eight are recognized by the Government as Higher 
Elementary schools. 

The curricula in these schools make provisions for bet- 
ter and more advanced work than that of the Ordinary school. 
The outline time table prescribed in the School Management 
Code for Higher Elementary schools is as follows: 

Time Table For Boys. 
Registration, 1 hour 15 minutes per week. 

Religious Exercises and Scripture, 2 hrs. 30 minutes per week. 
Recreation, 1 hour 40 minutes per week. 

Minimum Time for Compulsory Subjects. 
Arithmetic and Mathematics, 3% hours per week. 
Experimental Science — Physics and Chemistry, 2 hours per 

week. 
English Subjects moulding Composition, 3% hours per week. 
History and Geography, 2 hours per week. 

One Foreign Language, 2 hours per week. 

Drawing, 2 hours per week. 

Systematic Physical Exercise, 1 hour per week. 

This leaves about 8 hours and 35 minutes unallotted. 

Time Table for Girls. 
Registration, 1 hour 15 minutes per week. 
Religious Exercises and Scripture, 2 hours 30 minutes per 

week. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 47 

Recreation, 1 hour 40 minutes per week. 

Minimum Time for Compulsory Subjects. 
Arithmetic and Mathematics, 3 hours per week. 
Experimental Science — Physics and Chemistry, 2 hours per 

week. 
English Subjects including- Composition, 4% hours per week. 
History and Geography, 2 hours per week. 
One Foreign Language, 2 hours per week. 
Drawing, 2 hours per week. 
Systematic Physical Exercise, 1 hour per week. 
Needle Work for Standard VII, 2 hours per week. 
Singing, % hours per week. 

This leaves 5 hours and 35 minutes unallotted. 

In addition to the above outlined work I saw Manual Train- 
ing in the Boys' school and Cookery and Laundry in the Girls' 
school. 

The time available in these schools is 9 to 12 :00 and from 2 
to 5. 

The maximum salary for men teachers in Higher Elemen- 
tary schools is $925.00. The maximum salary for women teach- 
ers in Higher Elementary schools is $750.00. 

There are specific qualifications laid down for teachers in 
the Ordinary, Higher Grade and Higher Elementary schools. 
Where a school is mixed — Ordinary and Higher Grade, or Or- 
dinary and Higher Elementary a teacher in a lower class school 
may not teach in the upper class school, except in the most ex- 
traordinary cases. 

Where a school is part Ordinary and part Higher Elemen- 
tary the headmaster is recognized as headmaster of the High- 
er Elementary school only; the lower part of the school is 
placed under the management of a "principal certificated 
teacher who works the lower section in accordance with the 



48 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

desires of the headmaster of the Higher Elementary school". 
This principal certificated teacher is paid an additional $50.00 
to $100.00 according to the number of pupils under his charge. 
I visited some of these mixed schools and learned that the 
government is trying to increase the number of Higher Ele- 
mentary schools. The Higher Elementary schools have no 
standards nor grades, but use the terms first year, second 
year, etc. 

From whence come the pupils to these Higher Grade and 
Higher Elementary schools? By what process are pupils sep- 
arated, some continuing in the Ordinary school, others advanc- 
ing to the Higher Elementary school? These questions inter- 
ested me very much and I gave the subject particular atten- 
tion. Since education, except that which is very rudimentary, 
is not free in England, by what process are opportunities for 
education limited or extended to the boys and girls of the 
United Kingdom? 

Under "Regulations for the award of Junior County Scholar- 
ships" we find the following specific directions for 1908: 

"The headmaster and headmistresses of all public Ele- 
mentary schools, both provided and non-provided, with- 
in the County of London are required to fill up nomina- 
tion forms for the general examination for Junior County 
Scholarships in respect of all boys and girls in attend- 
ance at their schools who — 

(1) Will not be less than 11 and less than 12 years of 
age on July 31st., 1908. i. e., the date of whose birth is not 
later than 31st., July 1897 and not earlier than August 
1896. 

(2) Are working at the time of the examination in the 
fifth or a higher standard. ' ' 

"The examination will also be used as the examination 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 49 

for admission to Higher Elementary schools in accordance 
with the following resolution of the Council: 

"That the Junior County Scholarship examination tak- 
en by scholars between the ages of 11 and 12 do serve 
both for the award of the Junior County Scholarship, ten- 
able in Secondary schools and for admission to Higher 
Grade and Higher Elementary schools." 

"The Board of Examiners will report to the Council 
the result of the general competition, and will make pro- 
visional awards of scholarships, provided that approxi- 
mately two-thirds of the total number of scholarships are 
awarded to girls, and that not less than two-thirds of the 
total number of scholarships held both before and after 
the age of 14 years be held by children of parents whose 
incomes do not exceed $800.00 per year." 
Each year in February this competitive examination is held. 
About 50,000 pupils from Ordinary schools compete for these 
scholarships ; about 2,000 or 4 per cent of the contestants usu- 
ally reach such a per cent that they are transferred from the 
Oridnary school to the Secondary school, where they may con- 
tinue for from three to five years. Out of the remainder about 
8,000 are selected to attend the Higher Elementary school 
where they may continue until they are 16 years of age. 

The remaining 40,000 are continued in the Ordinary schools, 
receiving but elementary instruction ; as before stated they usu- 
ally finish this course at thirteen years of age. 

Until recently the London County Council had no Secondary 
schools; the authorities of these schools have now granted to 
the Council the right to inspect their work in science, and in 
return for this inspection receive from the Council a grant, in 
return for which the Secondary schools give permission to the 
Council to send pupils to these schools, up to 25 per cent of 



50 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

the schools' capacity. This provision, together with the Sec- 
ondary schools now operated by the Council accommodates 
those pupils passing the examination and who reach such a per 
cent that will justify their attendance at Secondary schools. 

The Council in providing free education in the Secondary 
schools to those successfully passing the competitive examina- 
tion, pays the ordinary tuition fee charged by the school ; fees 
for books and stationery; fees for additional subjects such as 
drawing, singing, gymnastics, etc., providing such fees are 
charged generally to all pupils taking the subjects in the school. 

If the parents of the pupil securing one of these Secondary 
school scholarships have an income which does not exceed 
$800.00 per year, the Council will pay to the pupil for the par- 
ents, $30.00 per year for three years. If the scholarship is re- 
newed after three years for two additional years, the Council 
will pay to the pupil, for the parents, $75.00 per year for these 
two additional years. This grant is to compensate the par- 
ents for the loss of the child's time from manual labor during 
this additional school period. 

Since the work done in the Secondary schools depends en- 
tirely upon the qualification of pupils entering upon the work, 
and the efficiency of the Higher Elementary schools is deter- 
mined by the same standard, the questions given in the ex- 
amination for February, 1907, are given for the considera- 
tion of those interested in educational progress. 



PAPERS SET AT THE GENERAL COMPETITION FOR 
JUNIOR COUNTY SCHOLARSHIPS, FEBRUARY, 1907. 



Arithmetic 
Time— 1 1-3 hours. 10—11.15 a. m. 
Instructions to Candidates. 
Work only eight sums. You must choose at least four 
from part A. 

The sums in part B will receive higher marks than the 
sums in part A. 

Work the sums in any order you like. Do not copy out 
the questions. 

All working must be shown in your book. 

A. 

1. An engine driver ran 205 miles a day on Monday, 
Wednesday and Friday, and 164 miles a day on Tuesday, 
Thursday and Saturday. A second driver ran a total of 
1201 miles on the same six days. Which driver ran the 
greater distance, and by how many miles? 

2. It cost £92 5s.0d to make eighteen sofas. At what 
price must each be sold in order to obtain a profit of £1 
a sofa? 

3. A ship sailed from London at 8 a. m. on Jan. 24th, 
1906, and reached London again at 11 a. m. on March 12th, 
1906. How long was the ship away? Give your answer in 
days and hours. 



52 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

4. A girl bought, at the grocer's shop, 7 lbs. of rice at 
three half-pence a pound, three-quarters of a pound of 
tea at Is. 8d. a pound, IV2 lbs. of bacon at 10 ^d. a 
pound, and a dozen new laid eggs at nine for a shilling. 
She gave six shillings in payment for the goods. How 
much change ought she to receive ? 

5. A garden is 63 feet long and 24 feet wide. A house 
occupies one of the shorter sides of the garden. How 
many boards, placed upright side by side, will be required 
to fence the other three sides of the garden if the boards 
are 4% inches wide? 

B. 

6. £2 12s. Od. was to be divided between Tom, Dick and 
Harry. Tom was to have 1-3 of it, Dick 3-8, and Harry 
the remainder. Which would have the largest share, and 
how much would that share be? 

7. By laying bricks at the rate of 650 an hour workmen 
build a wall in 15 days. How long would it take the same 
men to build a wall requiring half as many bricks if they 
lay them at the rate of 750 an hour? 

8. A hundred pounds of cotton can be carried 7150 
miles on the sea for 4s. Id., and 39 miles by railway for 
7d. How many times is railway carriage as dear as sea 
carriage ? 

9. On Nov. 18th, 1906, £1 was worth 4.86 dollars, and 
on the same day £1 was worth 25.28 franc. How many 
francs was a dollar worth on that day. (Answer to two 
places of decimals.) 

10. In four flocks there were, altogether, 360 sheep. The 
first flock numbered twice as many sheep as the second, 
and the second twice as many as the third. The fourth 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 5S 

flock contained the same number as the third. How many 
sheep were there in each flock? 

English. Part 1. 
Eead the following verses through carefully, and try 
to understand the story told in them. You will be allowed 
ten minutes for reading the verses. Your examination pa- 
per will then be taken from you, and you will be allowed 
half an hour for writing out the story. You should write 
it in your own words, as fully as you can. 

Jack and little Bridget were determined on a feast ; 

Though what they had to eat and drink they did not 
mind the least. 
They ran into the kitchen and they found their mother 
there, 
And their mother gave potatoes ; for she 'd nothing else 
to spare. 
They put them in the oven and they shut the oven door, 
When Tabitha, the Persian cat, stalked straight across 
the floor. 
The eat was such a lovely cat, with soft, luxurious fur, 
That Jack and little Bridget felt compelled to play with 
her. 
They petted her, and fondled her, and rolled her on the 
rug; 
And they gave her nice warm milk to drink from Bridg- 
et's birthday mug. 
They pretended that a tennis ball was just a nice fat mouse, 
Which Jack and Bridget and the cat were chasing 
round the house. 
When, on a sudden, Bridget cried "0 Jackie, Oh dear me 



54 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

The potatoes! The potatoes! They'll be burnt as burnt 

can be!" 
They opened wide the oven door, and Oh the piteous sight ! 
The potatoes once so nice and brown were cinders black 

as night. 

The lesson of these verses is as plain as any book, 
You can't attend to Persian cats just when you want to 
cook. 

English. Part II 
Write a full description of any railway station you know 
and of what goes on there. 

You will be allowed thirty-five minutes for writing; pa- 
pers will be collected at 12.45. 

A partial report from Mr. P. H. Spencer, chief examiner, 
and from some of his assistant examiners will prove interest- 
ing. 

"As to the general form of the examination. I have no 
improvements to suggest. But there is one danger to 
which I think it necessary to allude. One of the principal 
objects of the present scheme is to render any special prep- 
aration for the scholarship examination as difficult as pos- 
sible. The reasons which lead to special preparation, 
whether in the form of "scholarship classes", special home 
work, or extra instruction outside the regular school hours, 
are often praiseworthy. A teacher may adopt these meth- 
ods because he or she wants to secure a secondary edu- 
cation for as many as possible of his or her pupils, or at 
least to insure that able pupils shall do themselves justice 
at the examination. Or the teacher may be moved mainly 
by a desire for the credit of the school, or even for the per- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 



56 



sonal credit which it is imagined comes from success in 
gaining scholarships. But whatever the motive, in so far 
as special preparation takes place, just so far is the object 
of the Committee of the Council defeated." 

"I confidently hope that whilst no really deserving child 
has been passed over, it will also be found that few chil- 
dren, or none, will have been selected from whom the com- 
munity will receive no social profit." 

TABLE SHOWING MARKS OBTAINED BY CANDIDATES. 

Junior County Scholarship Examination, 1907. 





ARITHMETIC 


ENGLISH 


MARKS. 


Boys 


Girls 


Boys 


Girls 


0- 9 


% 
4.0 


% 
29.8 


% 
0.2 


% 
0.9 


10— 19 


7.8 


20.5 


2.3 


4.5 


20— 29 


11.9 


17.2 


8.1 


11.2 


30— 39 


14.8 


13.2 


18.6 


18.5 


40— 49 


16.0 


8.9 


25.6 


21.8 


50— 59 


14.8 


5.1 


22.6 


19.1 


60— 69 


12.1 


2.8 


15.1 


14.3 


70— 79 


9.2 


1.7 


5.8 


6.9 


80— 89 


6.0 


0.8 


2.0 


2.3 


90-100 


3.5 


0.3 


0.2 


0.4 



56 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

Arithmetic. 
The papers set this year were easier than those set in 
1906, and the level of marks is therefore a little higher. 
In the general examination last year 6.1 per cent, of the 
boys and 35.2 per cent, of the girls obtained less than ten 
marks in arithmetic. 

I pointed out last year that if scholarships are to be 
awarded only to children of distinctly first-rate ability, the 
number cf scholars would be comparatively small. 

The wtDrk of the boys in this subject is, I think, credit- 
able. But the most striking feature of the examination is, 
this year as last, the difference between the work of the 
boys and girls. Whatever comparison be made, the result 
is not widely different. For every boy who fails to get 
more than nine marks out of a hundred, there are seven 
girls. Of every hundred boys twelve get less than twenty 
marks, but of every hundred girls fifty get less than twenty 
marks. At the other end of the table, a similar difference 
exists: 18.7 per cent, of the boys obtain 70 marks or more ; 
but only 2.8 per cent, of the girls get into the same cate- 
gory. 

I am well aware that a majority of the girls are in Stan- 
dard V., and that all the boys examined are in Standard 
VI. and upwards, though all candidates are in their twelfth 
year. There has been no opportunity this year of com- 
paring the work done by girls in Standard VI. and up- 
wards done with that of the boys. But such a compari- 
son has been made in the case of last year's results, and it 
has been proved that the difference in the results is very 
little affected by the elimination of all Standard V. girls 
from the comparison. I fear, therefore, that differences of 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 57 

school standard is not a sufficient explanation for the phe- 
nomenon presented by this year's results. A glance at the 
paper set will show what convincing evidence there is for 
this supposition. The five questions which form Part A of 
the paper are all within the capacity of children in Stan- 
dard IV., though, of course, only a distinctly clever Stan- 
dard IV. girl would get them all right. But every girl 
candidate at the examination is not lower than Standard V. 
Question I. involves no arithmetic beyond the work of 
Standard II. and I believe Question II. is well within the 
rules generally taught in Standard III. By answering 
these two questions correctly 18 marks could have been 
obtained. By answering either Question 2, 3, 4, or 5 cor- 
rectly any candidate could have got more than nine marks. 
Broadly stated then, the conclusion one is driven to is, that 
nearly one-third of the girls of eleven years old, in Stan- 
dard V., in London schools, were, in an examination held 
at the beginning of February, 1907, unable to solve a single 
problem, though some of the problems set were very easy 
indeed. Those girls who obtained less than ten marks, 
and who got any marks at all, usually earned them by 
working one or more items of the "Bill" (Question 4) cor- 
rectly or by failing to solve some other problem in a man- 
ner which showed some intelligence. 

The only other comment of a general character that I 
feel justified in making about the arithmetic is that the 
results, even in the case of the boys, raise a presumption 
that arithmetic is not mainly taught from concrete exam- 
ples. At any rate, even in the case of boys drawn from 
Standard VI. a simple calculation of a concrete character, 
based on work with which they must have been familiar 



58 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 



for at least two years, defeats the great majority of the 
candidates almost entirely. 

In this connection I may quote some figures compiled by 
Mr. Hale. The figures relate to 828 candidates from nine 
centres distributed fairly over the county area. The can- 
didates are all girls. 



Number of 


Percentage of candidates 


Percentage of those candi- 


question. 


attempting the question. 


dates obtaining marks. 


1 


93.0 


43.6 


2 


88.8 


56.5 


3 


54.8 


69.2 


4 


96.5 


5.3 


5 


49.8 


07. 3 


6 


79.2 


51.8 


7 


59.6 


72.7 


8 


58.5 


87.0 


9 


12.5 


70.2 


10 


54.5 


90.7 



The figures may be taken as a fair sample of the work 
of girl candidates as a whole. They bring out some in- 
teresting features of the grils' arithmetic. Naturally, 
nearly all the girls attempt the very easy first question ,- 
43 per cent, of them do not earn a mark, and the average 
mark gained is less than half the total possible. The re- 
sults in the case of Question 2 are, in my opinion, even 
more astonishing. The sum is one within the powers of 
a standard III. girl; 88 per cent, of the candidates at- 
tempt it and more than half of these do not get a single 
mark. It will be noticed also that over 5 per cent, of 
those who tackle the Bill fail to get a single item right. 

But there is one feature which comes out clearly in this 
table which illustrates the fact referred to above and com- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 59 

mon to the work of both girls and boys, that the more 
nearly a question approaches to reality and common sense 
the less chance is there that candidates will deal with it 
successfully. If we leave Questions 9 and 10 out of ac- 
count as sums which many of the girls could not be ex- 
pected to attempt, it will be noticed that the questions at- 
tempted least frequently, and solved least frequently when 
attempted, are Questions 3, 5, 7 and 8. All these sums are 
founded on incidents, the like of which are continually oc- 
curring in practical life, only those modifications required 
for the sake of simplicity having been introduced. Sum 3, 
as a glance at the appended paper of questions will show, 
merely requires a number of days to be counted, account 
being taken of the fact that the period of time begins at 
8 a. m. on one day and ends at 11 a. m. on another. Yet 
only 54.8 per cent, of the girls attempt the question, and of 
these nearly 70 per cent, obtain no marks for the attempt. 
The results in the case of Question 5, which requires a very 
simple calculation of the number of boards needed to fence 
three sides of a garden are somewhat similar. In the case 
of Question 7 the percentage of those attempting the ques- 
tion and getting no marks rises to over 70, and in the case 
of Question 8, a fairly simple problem based on actual facts 
87 per cent, of those attempting the problem get no mark 
at all. I have no figures concerning the work of boys which 
precisely corresponds to those quoted above, but Miss 
Burns kindly supplies me with the following facts derived 
from the work of over nine hundred boys drawn indiffer- 
ently from the whole of London area. 



60 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 



QUESTION. 



1 2 



Percentage of Candidates 

Obtaining full Marks. 71 . 6| 65 5 15 143.7 24.5 50 512.3 7.215.3 29.1 



4 5 6 7 8 9 10 



In commenting on the results of the examination in Eng- 
lish Mr. Spencer says : Spelling varied a great deal and 
the common inability to distinguish between "where" and 
"were", "there" and their" and the like is, apparently as 
prominent as it ever was. In the papers marked by Mr. 
Marsh, "Tabitha" was spelled in 98 different ways, 
"Bridget" in 55 and "Persian" in 45. 
Mr. Logsdon, an assistant examiner, says : 

A number of candidates were quite unable to perform 
simple arithmetical processes a larger number, as was to be 
expected, were unable to reason out the problems involved 
in the sums. In many cases the answers were absurd and 
sometimes bore no apparent relation to the question. In 
such cases the work seemed to show that the children were 
not accustomed to test their answers by reasoning within 
their own experience. For example, the profit on the sale of 
a sofa was often stated to be hundreds of pounds and a few 
hundred sheep were divided into flocks containing thous- 
ands each. But on the other hand a satisfactory propor- 
tion of the papers showed both clear reasoning and accu- 
rate calculation. In some schools there were candidates 
whose papers indicated high intelligence and very thor- 
ough preparation. 

Mr. Marsh : Some excellent work was done, but it must 
be confessed that, on the whole, the quality of the arith- 
metic is not of a high standard. 
Mr. Lees in his report of the examination in English says : 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 61 

The account of the apple was not well done by the can- 
didates in the supplemental examination. I can only find 
one paper that is really excellent, and in this case the child 
had evidently been learning botany. In the majority of 
cases the most superficial observation was displayed, and 
an altogether remarkable ignorance was shown by about 
half of the fifty-eight candidates whose papers I examined 
when they stated explicitly or allowed it to be inferred 
that apples do not grow in England. 

The spelling of the candidates generally, hardly calls 
for detailed comment. It was neither better nor worse 
than last year. Except, perhaps, that the phonetic repro- 
duction of cockney pronunciation was rarer. "There" 
and "their", "as" and "has", were confused as much 
as ever, but speaking broadly it may be said that the or- 
thography of the candidates is most meritorious. 

SECONDARY SCHOOLS. 
The London County Council has three Secondary schools for 
boys, fifteen for girls and one mixed school. Since these 
schools were not in session when I left London, I cannot give 
any definite information concerning their management, nor the 
character of the school work. I leave the reader to judge 
of this, basing his opinion upon the character of the examina- 
tion questions submitted, the age of the pupils, and the report 
of the examiners. 

OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS. 

The reader has observed ere this that the ordinary boy or 
girl of parents of moderate income has little hope of securing 
a general education. This system of examinations and schol- 



62 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

arships is well grounded and resorted to by all educational 
institutions. Mr. Spencer "confidently hopes that whilst no 
really able and deserving child has been passed over, it will 
also be found that few children, or none, will have been select- 
ed from whom the community will receive no social profit." 

The Council publishes a list of scholarships, other than sec- 
ondary school scholarships. Twelve hundred thirty seven 
scholarships may be awarded in 1907 to capable pupils or to 
teachers. Among these awards we notice 60 art scholarships; 
25 technical institute scholarships for boys; 400 junior do- 
mestic economy scholarships for girls ; 50 cookery scholarships 
for domestic servants ; 30 trade scholarships for boys ; 80 trade 
scholarships for girls; 60 grants for foreign holiday course 
for teachers, etc., etc. 

Mr. Blair, executive officer for the London County Council, 
publishes a list of 105 schools which will accept pupils win- 
ning scholarships entitling them to admission at the various 
schools ; thirteen of these are secondary schools and one tech- 
nical school supported by the Council while forty seven of 
them are aided by the Council. 



SCHOOL VISITATION. 



I decided before visiting any of the schools that to be ab- 
solutely accurate in my report, it would be necessary to have 
my questions in written form and that the answers to these 
questions should also be in writing, either made by the head- 
master or headmistress in charge or made by me at their dic- 
tation. Acting upon this decision I prepared on the evening 
before visiting any school, or while on the premises, a set of 
written questions which I submitted to the authorities and had 
the answers given as above stated. 

With the permit from the London County Council I pre- 
sented myself on Monday morning, September 7th., at the 
school in the northern part of London. 

After the usual formalities had received attention I present- 
ed the following questions to the headmaster of the Boys' 
school, who answered them in the spaces left immediately under 
the question. 

Q. What type of school is this? 



Higher Grade and Ordinary school. 

Number of rooms under your charge? 

Eleven. 

How many boys in the Lower section of Ordinary school? 

213. 

How many boys in the Higher Grade school? 

354. 



64 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

Q. What standards constitute the Ordinary school? 

A. I, II, III, IV. 

Q. What standards constitute the Higher Grade school? 

A. V, VI, VII, Ex-VII. 

Q. Average number of pupils in a room? 

A. From 40 to 77. 

Q. What is the average age in each standard? 

A. II standard 8 years ; III standard 9 years ; IV standard 
10 years; V standard 11 years; VI standard 12 years; VII 
standard 13 years. Ex-VII standard 14 years. 

Q. School commences when after the holidays? 

A. Last week in August. 

Q. When does school close for the year? 

A. July 26th. 

Q. What is your morning session? 

A. From 9 to 12. 

Q. What is your afternoon session? 

A. From 2 to 4:30. 

Q. Number of intermissions during the day? 

A. Two, of fifteen minutes each. 

Q. Distance from this school building to edge of your ter- 
ritory ? 

A. One mile. 

Q. How many officers serve you in enforcing the compul- 
sory education law? 

A. One. 

Q. What is done where this law is violated ? 

A. As a last resort, a fine is imposed. 

Q. Do you resort to corporal punishment? 

A. Yes — slight. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 65 

Q. Do you detain pupils during intermission or after 
school ? 

A. No. 

Q. Do you have written tests to assist in determining pro- 
motions? 

A. Yes, two per annum. 

Q. Do you have some kind of manual work in each grade? 

A. No. 

Q. How much time is devoted to penmanship? 

A. Thirty minutes per week in standards II, III and IV. 

Q. Do you have fire drills, if so how often? 

A. Yes, one per quarter. 

Q. Do you exercise supervision over pupils to and from 
school ? 

A. No. 

Q. Smallest salary paid? 

A. $450.00. 

Q. Highest salary paid? 

A. $1,000.00. 

Q. Do you require "home" or special night work? 

A. Yes. 

Q. Do you have any Bible or religious instruction during 
school hours? 

A. Yes, thirty minutes each day. 

On the lower floor was the Infants' school. In this building 
pupils are considered Infants until they have completed stand- 
ard I, or have reached eight years of age. Although these 
pupils enter when three years of age, the reading in the pri- 
mary school did not compare favorably with our home schools. 
No spelling is taught in the Infants' school. The hand or man- 
ual work was the same as that done in the East St. Louis 



66 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

schools of grade one. There was one headmistress and eleven 
assistant mistresses. 

In the Boys' school the order was not good. A man about 
sixty years of age had charge of the second grade. He was 
teaching a poem to the pupils and at its conclusion informed 
me that there was nothing more to see in that room. His voice 
was harsh and his discipline severe — when facing the pupils. 

The Girls' school was on the second floor. The order was 
good and the character of the instruction of a high order. A 
feeling of timidity seemed to pervade the rooms, which ac- 
counted for the lack of enthusiasm. 

At the first recess I was on the playground with the boys; 
there was no teacher in charge. The ringing of a hand bell 
was a signal for the pupils to form in line, which they did 
in their own peculiar way. 

The texts in reading I thought to be much easier than ours. 
Three books are read in one year in the II, III and IV stand- 
ards. The text is not continuous until the fifth standard; in 
this grade the Merchant of Venice is taken as a text. From 
the fifth to and including the ex-seventh standard, literary 
wholes are mostly used. 

I found in all standards that much poetry is memorized. 
Dictation is used largely as a foundation for language work. 

Music is taught by the teachers; they have no supervisor. 

Chemistry is introduced in the VI standard. The teacher 
told me he dreaded the note books, because he "had to spell 
all of the words". 

French is taught beginning with the V standard, by a special 
teacher. 

The text books in arithmetic were in pamphlet form, a book 
for each standard. The IV standard boys were solving prob- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 67 

lems in long division, the VII standard, complex fractions. 

Supplementary reading is based on Geography, English his- 
tory and general stories. 

Girls from standard IV to and including standard VII have 
one lesson per week in laundry work. The lesson continues 
throughout one-half day. 

Boys eleven years of age, regardless of academic work, take 
manual training, continuing the work until standard VII is 
completed. The lessons are given each week, continuing 
throughout one-half day. 

In standard VII the Girls' school I heard a recitation in 
grammar; analysis of sentences was the subject, handled as 
we do our technical grammar. 

There was no manual or handwork from standard II to Ex- 
VII aside from manual training and sewing. The sewing is 
done in the different school rooms. 

Teachers register when arriving in the morning and when 
leaving at noon ; again when coming in the afternoon and when 
leaving in the afternoon. 

* # * # # 

On Tuesday morning I visited the school and pre- 
sented the following questions to the headmaster of the Boys' 
school : 

Q. How many rooms in your school? 

A. Seven. 

Q. Average number of pupils in a room? 

A. Four rooms with 60 pupils ; one with 35 and two with 40. 

Q. Number of standards? 

A. I to Ex-VII. 

Q. Why have you a standard I in the Boys' school? 

A. Because these boys reached 8 years and had to be pro- 



68 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

moted from the Infant school ; not being ready for standard 
II, we must have a standard I for them. 

Q. Average age in each standard? 

A. Fourth standard 11 years, seven months; V, twelve 
years, two months ; VI, thirteen years, one month ; VII thir- 
teen years, nine months; Ex- VII, fourteen years, two months. 

Q. Distance from this building to edge of your territory? 

A. We have no edge of territory; pupils may come from 
anywhere. 

Q. How many officers serve you in enforcing the education- 
al law? 

A. Divisions of territory overlap ; we have the block system 
under the management of a superintendent and assistants. 

Q. How do you report absent pupils to these officers? 

A. We give to the officer each week the attendance of every 
pupil in our school. 

Q. How often do these officers call at your building for in- 
formation? 

A. Weekly. 

Q. Do you use corporal punishment? 

A. Yes. 

Q. Do you detain pupils during intermissions or after 
school? 

A. Yes. Our code will not allow us to keep them for les- 
sons; we may for misconduct, but pupils detained must not 
study nor recite. 

Q. Do you have written tests for determining promotions? 

A. Yes, two each year. 

Q. Do you use literary wholes in your reading course? 

A. No. 

Q. Are your text books the same as other L. C. C. schools? 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 69 

A. No, not necessarily. 

Q. Do you have hand or manual work in each standard? 

A. Nothing in addition to drawing, and regular manual 
training in the shop. 

Q. How much time each day is given to penmanship 1 ? 

A. Varies in standards; from one hour fifteen minutes to 
twenty minutes per week. 

Q. Do you exercise supervision over pupils to and from 
school? 

A. Not supposed to, but I do. 

Q. Do you require "home" or special night work of the 
pupils ? 

A. "We encourage it. 

Q. Do your teachers have any meetings with teachers of 
other schools? If so, how often and when do they meet? 

A. Not officially. 

Q. Do you send to parents weekly, monthly or yearly re- 
ports? 

A. Yearly. 

Q. When, and how are teachers paid? 

A. Monthly in cash by the clerk. 

Q. AVhat per cent of your highest standard continues in 
school? 

A. Two out of twenty eligible. 

Q. What school materials do the pupils furnish? 

A. None. 

In the Infants' school there were in addition to other pupils, 
60 between 3 and 4 years of age. The pupils although enter- 
ing at three, did not read as well as ours who are instructed 
according to the Ward method. 

In arithmetic the pupils were attempting to solve problems 



70 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

in subtraction; the problem before them was: from 35 take 
18. These little tots were "borrowing" one from the three 
and "placing it by the side of the five" making 15, from which 
they took the 8, leaving 7. 

The headmaster of the Boys' school who was with me in 
this department reminded me that he did not approve of the 
work we observed in arithmetic ; that if he had any authority 
in the Infants' school this kind of mathematical work would 
be prohibited. 

The headmaster of the Boys' school I found to be a practical 
educator, a thinker and a first-class disciplinarian. Perhaps it 
is due to the activity and progressiveness of the headmaster, 
but I found more genuine school work in this Boys' school than 
in any school I visited. The pupils were busy, orderly, court- 
eous and the atmosphere, of the entire school suggested work. 

The teacher of the Ex-VII standard conducted a song ser- 
vice in the hall of the building; the class consisted of all pu- 
pils in the Boys' school. The attention was excellent; the po- 
sition of the pupils above criticism, and the singing good. I 
am thankful to the secretary for placing this school on my 
list for visitation. 

The headmaster showed me the syllabus he had prepared, 
based of course on the government code. 

Boys eleven years of age begin manual training and con- 
tinue for three years. One-third of the time is given to draw- 
ing, and two thirds to bench work. A manual training lesson 
is given each week, the period extending over one half day. 
All work is in wood, no iron or metal work being done. No 
appropriation is made for manual training to be given to boys 
under eleven years of age. 

The pupils have no text in spelling. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 71 

Home work mostly reading and written recitations on this 
work, for which prizes are awarded. 

# * * # * 

On Wednesday the day was spent at the ■ school and 

the following questions submitted: 

Q. What type of school is this? 

A. Ordinary and Higher Elementary. 

Q. What standards in the Ordinary school? 

A. V, VI, and VII. 

Q. What standards in the Higher Elementary? 

A. No standards at all, but 1st, year, 2nd. year, 3rd. year, 
4th. year. 

Q. What is the life of any ordinary text book? 

A. From three to ten years. 

Q. When do you consider a text book unfit for use? 

A. Theoretically, when on^ leaf is out. 

Q. What do you do with the discarded text books? 

A. Return to L. C. C. supply depot. 

Q. How long since you made a change in text books in 
arithmetic ? 

A. Rarely. 

Q. In grammar? 

A. We have no formal text. 

Q. In history ? 

A. Rarely. 

Q. What per cent of the text books are lost, or become unfit 
for use each year? 

A. Average about two cents per pupil. 

Q. What per cent of your pupils remain in the building 
during the noon hour? 

A. Very few. 



72 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 



How many cases of tardiness did you have last year? 
About ten a week. 

How many cases of corporal punishment did you have 
year? 

About ten a week. 

Did you visit any schools last year? 

A dozen. 

Do you teach any classes? 

No. 

What is the age of your youngest teacher? 

Twenty-four. 

What is the age of your oldest teacher? 

62 years. 

What do you do with pupils who are mentally unable to 



Q 

A 

Q 

last 
A 

Q 

A 

Q 

A 

Q 

A 

Q 

A 

Q 

do the work? 

A. Send them to Mentally Defective schools. 

Q. Where do you introduce technical grammar? 

A. No where. We study poetry twelve months, memoriz- 
ing about 150 lines. Study much prose at home having writ- 
ten lessons at school, based upon this work. 

Q. In what standard is the multiplication table mastered? 

A. Theoretically, at nine years of age. or standard III. 
(The teachers in the V and VI standards told me their pupils 
had not mastered them.) 

Q. Do you suspend or expel pupils for cause? 

A. No, we have no such power; we must handle them. 

Q. Are all schools named from location. 

A. Yes, with very few exceptions. 

Q. How many schools are contributory to your Higher Ele- 
mentary school? 

A. About twenty. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 73 

In this school there were eleven rooms in the Boy's school, 
seven rooms in the Girls' school, and nine rooms in the Infants' 
school. 

In the Infant school no use is made of phonics. The read- 
ing was very slow; words were called as recognized, no effort 
given to expression. No particular attention given to spelling. 
I examined the syllabus and considered it much above the pu- 
pils' comprehension. Among other subjects considered were: 
A ship ; construction ; parts ; machinery ; use of each. Com- 
pass; north star, etc. In Botany the technical names of dif- 
ferent parts of the flower. The writing was done with pen and 
ink. 

In the Boys' school all work was done on slates or paper, 
each boy sitting at his part of the desk. 

In geography about six years are given to Great Britain and 
her possessions, and the VII standard considers briefly the 
United States and other countries. All geography is taught 
through supplementary reading. 

In the science class I saw a boy 11 years of age writing out 
his notes concerning a "saturated solution." Another boy of 
the same age in the physics class was trying to find the relation 
of the diameter of a brass disc to its circumference. 

Shakespeare is introduced in many schools in the V stand- 
ard. The teachers in the V and VI standards told me they 
were killing all interest in Shakespeare by introducing it so 
early; they also said that a boy who, when he runs home from 
school wants to make a toy boat and sail it in a near-by pond, 
has no definite use for Shakespeare. 

Following the custom of allowing "promising" pupils a bet- 
ter opportunity than ordinary pupils, the class in drawing was 
divided ; the more proficient pupils going to the art room where 



74 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

they had a special instructor, the ordinary pupils remaining 
in their rooms and instructed by the teacher. 

I heard a class reciting in Biblical study. The lesson was 
"First Miracle in Galilee." Bibles were in the hands of the 
pupils, and they read the text as any other text would be 
treated, the teacher explaining the literary meaning of any 
difficult passages. The manners and customs of the period 
were considered ; many reasons were given as to why there was 
no wine. Each Wednesday morning memory work in Biblical 
literature is given ; selections are printed on cards which the 
pupils are expected to commit and recite in class. 



Thursday was spent in the school, a Higher Elemen- 
tary, and one of the few schools of this type in London. The 
school had three departments : Senior Mixed ; Junior Mixed 
and Infants. The following questions were submitted to the 
headmaster and headmistresses. 

Q. Where do you introduce a text in arithmetic? 



Standard I. 
In geography? 
Standard IV. 
In history? 
Standard V. 
In spelling? 
No. text. 
In music? 
Standard V. 
In Bible study? 
Standard III. 
In physiology? 
No text. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 75 

Q. In chemistry? 

A. Standard VI. 

Q. In physics? 

A. Standard V. 

Q. In zoology? 

A. No text. 

Q. What is the average life of a text book in arithmetic ? 

A. Four years. 

Q. In geography? 

A. Two years. 

Q. Do your teachers visit other rooms in this building? 

A. No. 

Q. In other schools? 

A. No. 

Q. Where do you teach diacritical marks? 

A. Nowhere ; dictionaries are not reliable. (Just here we 
might state that my companion on the ship, finished the work 
in the special schools in England, and is now a student in a 
theological seminary near Toronto. He said he knew nothing 
of "those little marks over the letters." He took his pro- 
nunciation of words "from friends in whom he had confi- 
dence.") 

Q. Is each pupil furnished with a dictionary? 

A. Yes, from VI standard up. 

Q. In what standard do you teach interest? 

A. Standard V. 

Q. How often do you have teachers' meetings to discuss 
the work? 

A. We have none — When necessary. 

Q. In what standard is the multiplication table mastered? 



76 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

A. IV — supposedly. 

Q. How often are the text books fumigated? 

A. Never. 

In geometry the class in standard V wa s discussing "the lo- 
cus of a point", and "the relation of the diameter to the cir- 
cumference." 

The headmaster explained before entering the manual train- 
ing room that the teacher was deaf; had been with him for 
years, and was a splendid teacher. 

I saw a class of V standard girls in the cooking room; the 
work is done from a utilitarian viewpoint, very little chemistry 
or scientific teaching being done. 

In the laundry, girls were washing clothing which they had 
brought from home. One girl having forgotten to bring an ar- 
ticle for this purpose, the teacher took a clean towel and made 
it ready for washing by cleaning a portion of the floor with 
it. Fifth standard girls constituted the class. 

The fourth or last year class in the Higher Elementary di- 
vision was drawing a railroad map of Great Britain, the pur- 
pose of which the teacher said, was to acquaint them with home 
railroads. 

In physical training, three periods per week > each twenty 
minutes in length are permitted. The class at exercise this 
day used dumb bells. The work was well done. 

Noticing girls standing around in the hall during inter- 
mission, all busily knitting, I enquired the purpose. I learned 
that the girls in the sewing and knitting classes are allowed to 
purchase all articles made if they pay for cost of materials, 
plus 8 1-3 per cent to allow for waste and ruined articles. 

In the Infant school I saw their afternoon dismissal. The 
pupils all marched into the hall, sang a few songs and repeated 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 77 

the Lord's prayer, all kneeling. The headmistress then of- 
fered a prayer, after which the pupils responded with "Amen" 
and marched out of the building. 

Friday was spent at the school. On Thursday evening 

the following questions were prepared: 

Q. What type of school is this? 

A. Ordinary. 

Q. How many rooms in this building? 

A. Eight boys; eight Girls and eight Infants. 

Q. What standards are represented? 

A. Boys' and Girls' schools, 1 to Ex-VII. Infants, first, 
second, third and fourth years. 

Q. Where do you introduce a text in arithmetic? 

A. Standard II. 

Q. Geography? 

A. No text. 

Q. History ? 

A. No text. 

Q. Spelling? 

A. No text. 

Q. Music ? 

A. Standard IV. 

Q. Bible Study? 

A. Standard V. 

Q. Chemistry and Physics? 

A. Standard V, but no text. 

Q. What time each week is given to history? 

A. Thirty to seventy-five minutes. 

Q. Arithmetic ? 

A. 225 to 295 minutes. 



78 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 



Q. 


Geography? 


A. 


70 to 135 miutes. 


Q. 


Music ? 


A. 


55 to 65 minutes. 


Q. 


Chemistry and physics? 


A. 


60 minutes. 


Q. 


Manual training? 


A. 


One-half day per week. 


Q. 


Cooking? 


A. 


One- h alf day per week. 


Q. 


Sewing? 


A. 


Forty minutes per week. 


Q. 


Laundry ? 


A. 


One-half day per week. 


Q. 


Physical training? 


A. 


60 minutes. 


Q. 


Games? 


A. 


30 to 80 minutes. 


Q. 


Bible study? 


A. 


150 minutes. 


Q. 


Reading? 


A. 


300 to 130 minutes. 


Q. 


Penmanship ? 


A. 


No definite time. 


Q. 


Drawing? 


A. 


300 to 130 minutes. 


Q. 


Swimming? 


A. 


105 to 25 minutes. 


Q. 


Spelling? 


A. 


No definite time. 


Q. 


Dictation? 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 79 

A. 60 to 30 minutes. 

Q. Composition ? 

A. 90 to 140 minutes. 

Q. Algebra ? 

A. With arithmetic. 

Q. Who pays the tuition of your scholarship pupils who 
enter Secondary schools? 

A. The London County Council. 

Q. How is the expense met for the swimming lessons? 

A. The L. C. C. pays two cents per head for each lesson 
given. 

Q. What is the cost to you of the journal issued by the 
L. C. C? 

A. Nothing; we get one for each headmaster and head- 
mistress, and one for each body of teachers. 

Q. In what standard do you teach the geography of the 
United States? 

A. VltoEx-VII. 

Q. Do you teach United States money? 

A. No. 

Q. Is each pupil furnished with a dictionary? 

A. VI and VII standards only. 

Q. Where do you introduce Shakespeare's plays? 

A. In standard V. 

Q. How much time is required for your semi-annual exam- 
inations ? 

A. Each morning for three weeks. 

Q. Do you call on parents when you wish to consult them 
regarding school matters? 

A. No, the parents come to the school. 

Q. Do you teach the muscular movement in writing? If so, 



80 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

where do you introduce it? 

A. No. What is the muscular movement? 

Q. I understand you have several local councils from which 
members are selected who constitute a general council on edu- 
cation? 

A. Yes. 

Q. How many local councils are there ? 

A. About twenty. 

Q. How many times each year does your local council meet? 

A. Eight times a year. 

In the Infant's school I witnessed a lesson given by pupils 
three and four years of age. Each pupil was furnished with 
a horn, drum, cane or some similar article ; the pupils marched 
around the hall making all possible use of the articles given 
them. Many were so inattentive that they could scarcely be 
kept in line. 

The "Nellie Dale System" of reading is in use in this In- 
fant school. I learned that the system is rapidly gaining fa- 
vor. Its plan is as follows : The alphabet is placed on small 
pieces of cardboard each piece having a small hole in the up- 
per end. A large board approaching four feet square, is ar- 
ranged on an easel ; upon this board, arranged in rows are many 
small hooks, each calculated to hold one of the pieces of card- 
board, bearing one of the letters. The prominent sounds of 
the alphabet are represented by blue pieces of cardboard, the 
obscure sounds by yellow cardboard and the vowels by red 
cardboard. 

The system is the exact reverse of the Ward System. In 
giving the lesson the teacher pronounces a word, as "duck"; 
one pupil passes to the easel and places "d" upon a hook, an- 
other "u", another "c" while another pupil places the "k", 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 81 

finishing the word. Several words were pronounced, the teach- 
er telling me that all of them were "old" words, and the pu- 
pils marched to the easel, placing the letters as before. The 
blue pieces of cardboard were called "little brothers", the yel- 
low pieces, "little sisters". After the letters were placed up- 
on the hooks, pupils dressed in appropriate colors were asked 
to come to the front of the room and arrange themselves in a 
manner similar to that of the letters on the easel. In teaching 
syllabication, pupils were asked to step as they pronounced 
the words. A word of one effort, calling for one step ; two ef- 
forts two steps, etc. 

I considered the reading very poor; pupils would look at a 
word, pronounce it, look at the following word and pronounce 
it, etc., etc., to the end of the sentence. There was no attempt 
at expression nor interpretation. 

In the lesson I heard the sounds were all short. My in- 
quiry revealed the fact that the teacher did not know how pu- 
pils would get new words unassisted. Since all the work I 
saw was synthetical I failed to understand just what power 
the pupils would have when attempting analytical work. The 
headmistress explained that all new words must be placed on 
the easel, and the position there of different colored cardboard 
would enable the pupils to master the words; just how this 
could be done, she had not thoroughly worked out. 

When I explained that from the sounds of the letters we de- 
termined the pronunciation of the words, and that we taught 
the diacritical marks to assist us in the work, the headmistress 
requested me to give a demonstration of our method. I placed 
eight a's on the board giving each a diacritical mark, which 
caused many inquiries; the headmistress said she had never 
seen work of this character in any of the schools. She said 



82 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

she did not know how to use these marks ,and had never given 
this part of the subject any consideration. 

In the Boys' school V standard I heard the teacher develop- 
ing a lesson on the origin of the English language ; words of 
ours taken from other languages, etc. ; root words, prefixes, 
suffixes, etc. The story of the Celts and Saxons; similarity 
of early English with other languages. The languages of peo- 
ple coming from other countries, showing their westward 
march, etc. 

The teacher explained at the conclusion of the lesson that 
"we have an American schoolmaster as a visitor, so let us show 
him what we know of his country." The teacher was very 
frank, had more energy than usually displayed in the schools 
I visited, and while chagrined at the result of his question- 
ing, yet continued his efforts faithfully. 

The pupils in this V. standard were not sure whether the 
American people are white or black ! The visitor was used 
as a specimen after which they decided that the "Yankee" is 
somewhat like the Britisher. The language spoken here caused 
much anxiety and many languages were mentioned as being 
our national tongue. Many were of the opinion that our na- 
tional language was Dutch ; Roosevelt, they thought was a 
Russian. 

The teacher finally decided that the pupils' knowledge of 
America was very limited, and requested me to take the class. 
Under my questioning the boys thought England was any- 
where from 300 to 900 miles in length. There were forty pu- 
pils in the room ; but two of the forty knew what was meant 
by the House of Parliament. Many of them, after they discov- 
ered the building under consideration, thought King Edward 
lived there ; others thought the House of Lords lived there. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 83 

I mentioned that a body of water is near this building; 
many thought it might be the Pacific Ocean. After many ef- 
forts one pupil, finally succeeded in spelling "Thames." Many 
of the pupils had never seen the building mentioned in the 
lesson, neither could they give me directions as to how to reach 
it from the school. I did not receive ready answers to 1-3 of 
36 and % of 23 caused many to stumble. I found their 
knowledge of America very limited, in fact, they knew nothing 
of us as a nation nor as a people. They did not know our 
national capital, but suggested that it might be New York. 

These pupils are students of Shakespeare and take a regular 
course in physics and chemistry. 

To show the utter lack of co-operation between the head- 
master and head mistresses in many cases I give the following 
incident. Wishing to get the time given to sewing in the Girls' 
school, I called to see the headmistress of that department. 
After answering my question in reference to the sewing class, 
she noticed that I had the time table from the Boys' school and 
asked me to kindly show her the time given in this department 
to arithmetic, language, etc. 

Noticing that the Fahrenheit thermometer was registering 
but 58 degress, I remarked that a little more heat might make 
the pupils more comfortable. The headmistress replied 
"We have nothing aside from grates to heat this building; 
last winter we taught here with the thermometer at 39 degrees. 
I sent in a complaint but as the headmaster did not complain, 
there was nothing done to remedy matters." 

While visiting the V standard during the morning session 
I requested the pupils to write me a letter. The headmaster 
consented to this, but as the work was not finished by noon, we 
agreed that it might be completed in the afternoon. After the 



84 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

noon hour I visited the Infant and Girls' school. School dis- 
missed at 4 :30 and remembering my letters I rushed up to the 
Boys' school arriving there at 4:32 when to my utter sur- 
prise not a pupil nor teacher was in sight. The schoolkeeper 
said they had gone home as usual. Meeting some of the boys 
on the playgrounds I enquired concerning my letters. They 
replied: "We wrote them all over again, but we do not know 
where they are." 

***** 

Learning that the Froebel Educational Institute had a high 
standing in the community I spent one day in locating the 
school, inspecting the building and conveniences for work. 

The school was not in session but the lady in charge per- 
mitted me to inspect programs, busy work, and other speci- 
mens of the work of the school. The school is located in the 
suburbs of London, has six or eight small class rooms, all on 
the ground floor, a gymnasium, dining hall, etc. 

The school is built to accommodate 160 pupils arranged 
in three divisions : 

Kindergarten children from 3 to 6 years of age. 

The transition — children from 6 to 8 years of age. 

The school — children from 8 to 14 years of age. 

The Institute also provides training for those who wish to be- 
come teachers, the tuition averaging from $40.00 to $50.00 
per term. 

Dinners are provided at the school for pupils and teachers, 
for which a special fee is charged. 

From work on exhibition in the school rooms I judged that 
the variety of hand work in the lower grades does not parallel 
our work in East St. Louis. 

In the teachers' library where I spent about one hour, I 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 85 

found many books — well known to American teachers — books 
published by American publishing concerns. During my vis- 
itation in the schools I asked many teachers for works on 
teaching, manual work, etc., and almost invariably the answer 
came: "Oh we use your American books for most of our work 
along these lines." 

For the basis of their art work in this Institute I noticed 
the same journal which is used in our schools; this journal is 
published in Worcester, Mass. 

The daily program included about the same line of work 
that is outlined for the L. C. C. schools. 

The teachers' course appeared to be a strong one, embrac- 
ing "Child Nature." "Laws of Psychology," "Froebel's Prin- 
ciples", "History of Education", "Educational Handwork", 
"Games and Stories" etc. 

# # # # # 

One day was given to the school for Mentally Defective 

children. I found this building adjacent to an Ordinary L. C. 
C. school; a tight board fence separated the playgrounds of 
the two schools. Pulling a bell cord at the entrance gate, 
the schoolkeeper answered the signal, and directed me to the 
headmistress of the Mentally Defective school. 

When I entered I found the pupils in the hall taking physi- 
cal exercises. One of the teachers was seated at the piano; 
this furnished the "time" for the pupils in marching and other 
bodily movements. 

Hearing a slight noise in a room in the rear I turned to 
notice the cause ; just then the door opened and a boy walked 
out just having enjoyed a fine bath. 

I found the pupils well trained in the movements given dur- 
ing the exercise period; running, hopping, dancing and other 



86 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

similar exercises constituted the lesson. 

After visiting the rooms and observing the character of the 
work I stepped into the office where I prepared the following 
questions for your information: 

Q. Number of boys in this school? 

A. 36. 

Q. Number of girls? 

A. 11. 

Q. Number of teachers? 

A. Two. 

Q. Youngest pupil? 

A. 7. 

Q. Oldest pupil? 

A. Almost 16. 

Q. Prohibitory age? 

A. 16. 

Q. Time limit for pupils in this school? 

A. Six years. 

Q. How are pupils admitted? 

A. Report of headmaster or headmistress of other buildings 
and of one of our physicians. 

Q. Do you have parents call at the school to give informa- 
tion concerning children? 

A. Yes, such information is kept in this "Record and 
Progress Book." This book which I examined had detailed 
information concerning the pupils' grandparents, parents, 
brothers, sisters, environment, habits, propensities, etc., etc. 
The book was provided with a durable lock and key. 

Q. How often are these pupils examined by the physician? 

A. Every six months ; sometimes oftener in special cases. 

Q. What are your school periods? 




1^ '-< ■ 



.'J 







A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 87 

A. School opens at 9:30 closes at 12:00. Opens at 1:30 
and closes at 3 :30. 

Q. How often are pupils bathed? 

A. Every seven days. 

Q. How far do these pupils live from this building? 

A. About five minutes walk; in some schools pupils live 
one-half mile from the buildings. 

Q. What conditions govern the admittance of your pupils 
to ordinary L. C. C. schools? 

A. As soon as they reach standard one. 

Q. Do teachers in these schools receive same salary as 
teachers in ordinary schools? 

A. No, they receive $50.00 a year more salary, except that 
the maximum salary is the same. 

Q. When does school open and close for the year? 

A. Opens Aug. 24th., closes July 24th. 

Q. During your experience in these schools, have you re- 
ceived an equal number of boys and girls? 

A. Oh, no; two-thirds of them have been boys. Other 
queries brought out this explanation of these conditions: "You 
see after standard I in most schools, the boys are taught by 
men, while the girls are taught by women. Pupils are sent 
from the Infant school to the Boys' and Girls' schools when 
they reach seven or eight years of age, whether they have fin- 
ished the work of the Infant school or not. It is generally ac- 
cepted here that the impatience of men teachers with small 
children accounts for their adverse reports, sending pupils 
to the Mentally Defective schools. 

Q. Those pupils hopelessly defective, in what are they 
brightest ? 



88 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

A. In manual work. 

Q. In what are they dullest? 

A. In reading; these large girls you see here do not know 
how to read in the primer. 

Q. From your medical reports, to what do you attribute 
this deficiency? 

A. Improper food ; drink on the part of parents ; mothers 
overworking, coupled with their ill treatment. This elicited 
the further report that many men in London after marrying 
cease work, and depend upon their wives for support. 

Q. At what times do you admit pupils to these schools? 

A. Three times each year. 

Q. Is the ratio of the mentally defective children increasing 
or decreasing according to the population? 

A. Increasing rapidly. 

Q. Do these children come from large or small families? 

A. Usually from large families; we have but one pupil 
who has no sisters nor brothers. 

Q. According to your "Record and Progress Book" what 
per cent of the parents use liquors or opiates? 

A. All of them. 

Q. Are these pupils difficult to control? 

A. Not always; some of them are. 

Q. What per cent of your pupils do you return to the or- 
dinary schools? 

A. About 8 per cent. 

Q. On an average, how long do you keep them? 

A. About three years. 

Q. Do you, from your experience, consider it a disadvan- 
tage to pupils to associate in class work with pupils weaker 
than they? 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 89 

A. No, not here ; not enough difference in mentality. 

Q. What class of pupils are rejected from your school? 

A. Imbeciles; the doctors decide this. 

Q. Do you have any parents who refuse to permit their chil- 
dren to attend schools of this character? If so, what is done 
in such cases? 

A. An Act of Parliament makes this obligatory on the part 
of parents. If they are financially able, they may send their 
children to private schools. 

Q. From how many schools do you receive pupils? 

A. 10. 

Q. Have you ever returned a pupil to an ordinary school, 
and had him rejected and returned to you? Who is the final 
authority should such conditions arise? 

A. In all my experience just one case and I shall never 
forget it. This was caused by two physicians examining the 
same child. The pupil was returned to the ordinary school 
on the advice of one physician, and rejected by a physician 
having charge of another district. 

Q. Who attends to the bathing of these pupils? 

A. We have a woman regularly employed for this work. 
She is paid $.62 cents for two hours' work. 

Q. Is it your preference to teach in these schools? 

A. Yes. 

Q. Have the teachers of these schools any organization for 
improving their methods of teaching? 

A. Yes, we meet once each month. 

The school spirit in this school was excellent; the teachers 
tactful, skilled and resourceful. 

While the academic work is almost reduced to a minimum, 
yet a daily program shows that repeated efforts are made to 



90 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

develope possible latent mental energy. 

The manual work was of a high order; the pupils were 
sewing, making mats, drawn work, embroidery, paper cutting, 
modeling, and various other closely allied bodily movements. 

I found the teachers thoroughly informed on the location, 
function and necessary development of the motor cells in the 
brain. They conduct these schools on the theory that proper 
motor activity will produce a mental activity which may be 
utilized in the regular academic work. To serve these ends 
they give much time and attention to games suited to the 
capabilities of the children. 

There are 84 schools for the mentally defective, accommo- 
dating 5,802 pupils, and under the management of seven mas- 
ters and seventy-seven mistresses, assisted by twelve masters 
and one hundred sixty-eight mistresses. 

London provides for children defective in other lines; she 
has nine schools for the blind; all are in charge of headmis- 
tresses, assisted by 19 women teachers. These schools accom- 
modate 283 children. There are 11 schools for the deaf, ac- 
commodating 665 pupils and under the supervision of 7 mas- 
ters and 4 mistresses, assisted by 15 masters and 48 mistresses. 
There are 26 schools for the physically defective under the 
supervision of 26 mistresses assisted by 64 women teachers. 
These 26 schools accommodate 2,045 pupils. 

All of these special schools are mixed ; that is, both boys and 
girls attend the same school. His Majesty's Inspectors make 
a very exhaustive report on these schools. This report may 

be seen at our superintendent's office. 

***** 

One day was given to the Open Air School. Hearing 

this school spoken of frequently, I decided to see how it was 




A CORNER IN AN OPEN AIR SCHOOL. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 91 

conducted, its cost, object, etc. 

Arriving at this school, located in the suburbs, I met the 
headmistress who gave me permission to inspect the building 
and grounds. The building was formerly a private residence, 
but at the death of the owner, the building was to become the 
property of the L. C. C. for school purposes. The school has 
an excellent location, surrounded as it is by a few private resi- 
dences and a semi-forest. 

The yard was about 250 feet in length and 75 feet in width. 
The dwelling stood well towards the front, which gave ample 
space for all school exercises. 

At the rear of the yard stood what was formerly a South 
African war hospital building. During the Boer war buildings 
of its character were used for hospital purposes by the English 
soldiers. This structure was 60 feet long and 30 feet wide; 
one side and the two ends were enclosed with ordinary boards, 
no effort having been made to make these sides absolutely 
wind proof. The corner posts were about ten feet high; 
two or three feet from the ground was a board floor. Ar- 
ranged in the regular order on this floor were the teacher's 
desk and 25 or 30 chairs and benches. 

Between this improvised school building and the former 
dwelling, long tables were arranged at which the children 
studied their lessons, and at the noon hour partook of the 
luncheon provided by the school. Dotted here and there over 
the yard were single chairs in which pupils were sitting, read- 
ing, sewing or doing any kind of school work required. 

After an examination of the premises and talking with the 
teachers I went into the office where I was served with a cup 
of tea and where I prepared the following questions : 

Q. Number of boys in this school? 



92 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

A. 36. 

Q. Number of girls? 

A. 48. 

Q. Number of teachers? 

A. Two males, one female, one nurse and one headmistress. 

Q. What are the minimum and maximum ages of pupils? 

A. 8 to 14 years. 

Q. Is a doctor's certificate required for a pupil's admis- 
sion? 

A. Yes. 

Q. School term begins when? 

A. June 10th. 

Q. School term closes when? 

A. Usually in November; depends upon the weather. 

Q. What tuition is charged? 

A. Depends upon financial ability of parents ; from noth- 
ing to $.75 per week. Many pupils pay $.36 per week. 

Q. What help have you aside from the teaching force? 

A. Caretaker, cook and assistant cook. 

Q. How many meals are served daily? 

A. Three meals daily, with light lunch at 10 a. m. 

Q. Do pupils go to their homes at night? , 

A. Yes. 

Q. What are the school hours? 

A. School opens at 9:00, closes at 12:30. School opens 
again at 3:30 and closes at 5:00. At 12:45 we have dinner 

after which the pupils are required to rest or sleep until 

3 :30. At 5 :00 we have tea, after which the pupils again go to 

work and continue until 7 :00 or until almost dark. 

Q. What is done with these pupils when this school closes 
in November? 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 93 

A. They return to ordinary schools. 

Q. I notice some pupils in the building, while most of the 
pupils are in the yard or in the shed? 

A. Those in the building are rheumatics ; they do not come 
out until about 10 o'clock. 

Q. Do these pupils do any manual work about the place? 

A. They take turns in the kitchen and in waiting on the 
table. 

Q. Are the lessons conducted in the open air? 

A. Yes, unless it is raining, when we use the hospital build- 
ing. 

Q. What is included in your curriculum? 

A. A little text book work, drawing, gardening, games, 
sewing, clay modeling and raffia work. 

Q. Do the teachers in this school return to ordinary schools 
in November? 

A. Yes. Unassigned teachers have our places in the schools 
now. 

Q. I notice many trees and shrubs on the premises ; will you 
please give the names and varieties? 

A. Chestnut, apple, plum, blackberry, pear, walnut, mul- 
berry, ash, quince, oak, hazel, birch, currant, hawthorne, rasp- 
berry, gooseberry, lilac, elderberry, and several others. 

Q. What is the average cost of food per pupil? 

A. $.60 per week. 

Q. How many baths are given daily? 

A. Eighteen. 

Q. What do you consider an ordinary breakfast for these 
pupils ? 

A. Porridge and milk, or bread and milk. 

Q. Dinner? 



94 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

A. Brown stew, potatoes, pudding. 

Q. Tea? 

A. Currant bread, bread and butter, stewed fruit. 

Q. Do teachers provide their own lunches? 

A. No, they eat here. 

Q. Is this school self sustaining? 

A. No, the food is furnished through voluntary subscrip- 
tion. 

Q. How many such schools in London ? 

A. Only three ; we have just commenced these as an ex- 
periment. We want to see what effect such work will have 
on poor, sick children. 

Q. How often does the physician call here ? 

A. Three times a week. 

Q. Do pupils furnish their own medicine? 

A. Yes, but it comes cheaper on account of buying it in 
bulk. 

Q. What record of pupils do you keep? 

A. Weight, height and haemoglobin. 

Q. How often are the weights taken? 

A. Weekly. 

There was little formality in the management of this school. 
Pupils were walking around the grounds, some of them work- 
ing in the mud, some in the sand, some building wigwams, 
some miniature railroads, some in the flower garden, some in 
the vegetable garden and some watching aquatic animals in 
glass troughs placed there for elementary zoological study. 

Some of the stronger pupils were seated around tables, and 
were doing some work in composition and written lessons. 

One pupil who attracted considerable attention, was sawing 
wood with an ordinary buck saw: he lost no time and seemed 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 95 

interested in his work. Interrogations brought out the infor- 
mation that he did this voluntarily during a part of each day. 
No psychological explanation was offered for this unusual ac- 
tivity. 

At noon a hand bell brought all the pupils to the long 
tables arranged under the trees. The pupils arranged them- 
selves ready to be seated, after which one of the teachers said : 
"Lord, make us thankful for the blessings we are about to 
receive", to which the pupils responded, "Amen". The 
pupils were then seated and the schoolkeeper and one of the 
teachers gave to each pupil his portion of food. 

The conduct during this time was very good; pupils were 
asked if they "wanted a second helping"; no pupil volun- 
teered the information that he was ready for another plate. 

At the conclusion of the meal, the pupils arose and the teach- 
er said in a distinct voice: "Lord, make us thankful for the 
blessings we have just received"; the pupils answered 
"Amen". 

One of the male teachers then led the way to a large plat- 
form adjacent to the hospital building, where about 75 chairs 
were arranged in rows ; on each chair was a large blanket, 
similar to a steamer blanket. The pupils occupied these chairs 
in a semi-reclining position ; the teacher occupied a similar 
chair where he might easily overlook the entire school then 
at rest. 

After 30 minutes had passed I returned to the teacher on 
duty and found most of the pupils fast asleep. Occasionally 
one little head could be seen bobbing around and attempting 
to see if others of the company were troubled with insomnia. 

The location of the school, the purpose of its existence, the 
weak little bodies attempting to perform the school duties 



96 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

cheerfully, the spirit of the teachers showing that they fully 
comprehended the situation — all these things proved instantly 
to a visitor that the supporters of this institution had heard 
something of the literature concerning "his brother's keeper." 

Wishing to see what disposition is made of boys who fail to 
comply with the compulsory education act, I spent one day at 
the Truant school. The governor of this school, after see- 
ing my permit from Mr. Blair, was very courteous and care- 
ful to see that I had the opportunity of seeing every depart- 
ment and its occupants. 

The school consisted of several large buildings all within 
an enclosure similar to the ordinary school buildings. The 
officials all live within the grounds, and as they have spacious 
quarters, this within itself calls for considerable floor space. 

After inspecting the school rooms, gymnasium, swimming 
room, factory rooms, bakery, laundry, dining room, kitchen^ 
dormitories, etc., etc., I prepared the following questions that I 
might be more specific in my report : 

Q. Number of pupils now on roll? 

A. 92. 

Q. Minimum and maximum age? 

A. 6 to 14. 

Q. How many such schools in London ? 

A. 2. 

Q. How are pupils sent to this school? 

A. By the courts. 

Q. What departments of manual work have you? 

A. Shoe making, bakery, tailoring, needle work. 

Q. What standards do you represent in school work? 

A. From to VI. Most of our pupils are either in stand- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 97 

ard O. or I. 

Q. What time is given to academic work? 

A. One half of each day. 

Q. How many teachers have you for academic work? 

A. One headmaster, and two teachers, all men. 

Q. Average cost per pupil ? 

A. In 1905 we had 134 pupils and the cost for the year 
was $16,355.00. 

Q. What officers and teachers aside from regular teachers 
have you? 

A. Cook, two housemaids, governor, matron, tailor, shoe- 
maker, two laundresses, drill master, baker, stoker, clerk, 
manual training instructor, doctor and dentist. 

Q. What do you do about religious instruction? 

A. We have Church of England, Catholic and Jewish teach- 
ers. During the time set apart for religious instruction, each 
pupil attends the classes he prefers. 

Q. What provision is made for Sunday worship? 

A. Pupils attend church services in the community. 

Q. What are the school hours? 

A. School opens at 9 :00 closes at 12 :00. Opens again at 
2 :00, closes at 5 :00. Saturday afternoon is a half holiday. 

Q. When does the school term begin and end? 

A. We are always in session. 

Q. Do parents bear any of the expenses connected with 
the education of these children? 

A. They pay from to $1.25 per week, according to abil- 
ity. ] . j 

Q. How often are these boys bathed? 

A. Once each week. 

Q. What are the rest hours? 



98 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

A. Boys retire at 8:00 and rise at 6:00. Pretty long day 
isn't it? 

Q. If a boy refuses to work or study, what is your remedy? 

A. Corporal punishment. 

Q. What is the average time of a boy's detention? 

A. About 8 months. 

Q. How often does the dentist call? 

A. Once in two weeks. 

Q. How often does the doctor call? 

A. Every day. 

Q. How often may parents visit their children? 

A. Once each month. 

Q. How often are swimming and life saving lessons given? 

A. Daily to boys who can swim 100 yards. 

Q. Number of rooms used for academic work? 

A. Three. 

Q. Chief causes given in reports for truancy according to 
commitment papers? 

A. Weak parental influence and evil surroundings. 

Q. What is the difference between this school and Day 
Industrial schools? 

A. This school is for truant pupils only; they reside here 
from day of entrance until paroled. In Day Industrial schools 
the pupils reside at home, — that is they sleep at home; they 
are sent to these schools for other reasons than truancy. In 
truant schools we have no authority over boys 14 years of age. 
Industrial schools have authority over boys to 18; reformatory 
schools have authority over boys to 19. 

To show the regularity of procedure the following time table 
is appended: 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 99 

6 :00 a. m. Boys rise, fold bedding and wash — Talking not 
allowed. 

7 :00 a. m. Clean House and School. — Quiet conversation al- 
lowed. 

8:00 a. m. Boys' breakfast. — Talking not allowed. 

8:40 a. m. Prayers. 

9 :00 a. m. Distribution for school and work ; one division in 
School, remainder industrial work. — Necessary conversation. 

12:00 m. Drill. Talking not allowed. 

12 :50 p. m. Prepare for dinner. — Quiet conversation allowed. 

1:00 p. m. Boys' dinner. — Talking not allowed. 

1 :30 p. m. Recreation. 

2 :00 p. m. Distribution for School and work. — Necessary 
conversation. 

5 :00 p. m. Drill. — Talking not allowed. 

5 :30 p. m. Prepare for supper. — Quiet conversation allowed. 

6:00 p. m. Boys' supper. — Talking not allowed. 

6:30 p. m. Industrial work. — Necessary conversation. 

7 :30 p. m. Prayers. 

8 :00 p. m. Boys to bed. — Talking not allowed. 

I visited the shoe shop where many boys were at work. 
Questions propounded by the governor elicited the informa- 
tion that many of the boys had been working on hucksters' 
wagons, selling newspapers without a license, working in liv- 
ery stables, holding horses at public stations, etc., etc. They 
were from 10 to 13 years of age and the governor called par- 
ticular attention to their cockney talk. 

In the tailoring department the boys were making the regu- 
lation garments worn by boys of the school. The governor 
gave them a thorough oral examination to show what environ- 
ment had been theirs before being arrested and brought to his 



100 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 



school. The simplest combination of numbers was an unknown 
quantity to them, and their peculiar phrases and efforts at ex- 
pression made one think that the parents, in some cases, not 
the boys should be serving time there. 



That the reader may have a knowledge of the food fur- 
nished to these truant boys, we append the following: 





Breakfast 


Dinner 


Supper 










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£ 


CQ 


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3 
CA) 


£ 




0, 


CQ 


d 




Q 


1 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


8 


9 


10 


11 


12 




PT. 


oz. 


oz. 


PT. 


OZ. 


OZ. 


OZ. 


oz. 


PT. 


oz. 


oz. 






fi 


fi 








8 


4 


H 


fi 


•X 


Monday 


6 




1 








4 


H 


6 


K 






6 


6 








8 


4 


H 


6 


V. 


Wednesday 


6 




1 








4 


U 


6 


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Thursday 


H 


6 


6 








8 


4 


X 


6 


V* 






6 








1? 


8 


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12 






4 


6 


X A 





In the bakery and kitchen boys were assisting in the work, 
and as far as appearances indicated, they were glad that this 
was their day there, instead of serving in the shoe shop. 

In the laundry, boys were working large machines which 
called for all the power at their command; backward and for- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 101 

ward, backward and forward they bent until the perspiration 
was standing prominently upon their brows. 

Ninety-two boys in this school, scarcely one among the num- 
ber able to write his name or solve the simplest problem ; 
ninety-two boys neglected by parents and permitted to satisfy 
every unholy desire if opportunity afforded; ninety-two boys 
away from that parental influence so necessary for the sym- 
metrical development of all children ; ninety-two boys which 
London is attempting to redeem from misdirected energy; 
ninety-two boys refusing to attend school where every book, 
pencil, paper and all school material is provided without cost 
to them ; ninety-two boys experiencing the lives of the brute 
creation only and from inherited tendencies, or neglect, are 
blots on London's civilization. London is spending money, 
human energy and patience in her attempt to do for many 
children what their parents, for various reasons, have failed to 
undertake. 

***** 

Hearing so often something about class distinction in Eng- 
land, and that many pupils attended private schools rather than 
associate with the common boys and girls in the L. C. C. schools, 
I decided that my visitation would be incomplete unless I had 
a report from one of these select schools. 

Accordingly through Mr. , of Armour & Company, I se- 
cured a letter of introduction to the owner of college in 

southeastern London. Presenting my letter to the principal, 
I had to make many overtures before receiving permission to 
see the work. Recalling to the mind of the principal that Mr. 

had boys in that school, and that he was a friend of 

mine, he reluctantly consented to give me a short interview. 

After inspecting the class rooms, which in many cases were 



102 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

nothing more than rooms made by placing board partitions in 
one large room, I prepared the following questions that I might 
study the situation after my visit. 

Q. Number of boys in this school? 

A. 80. 

Q. Number of girls? 

A. 120. 

Q. What is the earliest age at which pupils may enter? 

A. 5. 

Q. What are your school hours? 

A. From 9 :30 to 12 :30 and from 2 :30 to 4 :30. 

Q. Length of school term? 

A. 39 weeks. 

Q. Do you teach technical grammar? 

A. Yes. 

Q. Where is it introduced? 

A. To pupils 9 years of age. 

Q. Do you have a text in spelling? 

A. No. Yes, in the upper grades. 

Q. What tuition is charged? 

A. $5.25 to $10.50 per term. 

Q. From what source do you receive most of your pupils? 

A. From business men, clerks, etc. They do not like to 
have their children mix with children at the common schools. 

Q. How does this school in its upper grades differ from the 
Secondary schools? 

A. It could not exist if a Secondary school were near, and 
the pupils could enter. We charge the same tuition that Sec- 
ondary schools charge. 

Q. Where do you introduce a text in arithmetic? 

A. II standard. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 103 

Q. In history? 

A. IV standard. 

Q. In geography? 

A. IV standard. 

Q. How much time is given to penmanship? 

A. Three lessons per week. 

Q. To dictation? 

A. Two lessons per week. 

Q. To composition. 

A. Two lessons per week. 

Q. Do you have hand or construction work? 

A. No. 

Q. How much time is given to religious training? 

A. Thirty minutes daily. 

Q. At what average do your pupils complete the work? 

A. 15. 

Q. A diploma from you admits the pupils to what schools ? 

A. None. 

Q. What is the distinguishing feature of your school when 
compared to the L. C. C. schools? 

A. No fixed course of study ; no definite time given to any 
particular branch ; do as I please. 

Q. What manual work do you have? 

A. None. 

Just here the principal became the questioner and asked 
me several questions, among which were the following: What 
do you do with poor children in America? Do they attend 
school with the medium and the well-to-do ? When I answer- 
ed in the affirmative he said: "Then I could not conduct this 
school in America. I could have no pupils there." He fur- 
ther replied:" Remember in London five years ago, we had no 



104 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

free schools ; we then had many such schools as you see here. 
After the schools became free — that is the elementary schools 
■ — many of the pay schools were discontinued. I am one of 
the men who continued the work. 

This school was very poorly equipped; in fact there was 
nothing in the way of material. The desks were old, the rooms 
small, many of the partitions being nothing but one thickness 
of boards. Cloth partitions served to partition off a space for 
the cloak rooms. The primary room was a large barn-like 
room, equipped with large desks. Little children occupied 
these seats, their feet swinging beneath. There were two 
rooms for boys ; two rooms for girls ; one primary room mixed 
and one secondary room mixed. 

Noticing that the school was in the rear of a Wesley- 
an church building, I made inquiry concerning its establish- 
ment. I learned that at an earlier date, this school was one 
of the National Society's schools, but since the recent educa- 
tional enactments, the society had surrendered it, and this 
principal had utilized the building as a "college." 

IN SCOTLAND SCHOOLS. 

During the summer I spent one day in the schools of Grange- 
mouth, located on the Firth of Forth, Scotland. In the pri- 
mary rooms the pupils read better than in the rooms of like 
grade in London. The spelling was given some attention in 
the lowest grades. 

In the elementary and grammar grades I found the pupils 
all preparing for an "examination." At that time I did not 
understand just what was so important concerning these exam- 
inations. The headmaster explained the necessity of prepa- 
ration for this yearly test, and also told me what disposition 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 105 

was made of pupils passing it, but not having given the sub- 
ject any attention I did not fully comprehend him. We know 
now that he referred to a test, similar to those given by the 
L. C. C. in February, which separates the pupils ; some going to 
Higher Elementary and others continuing in the Ordinary 
schools. 

TWO DAYS IN MIDDLESBORO. 

In Middlesboro, a city of 100,000, located on the coast in 
the northeastern part of England, I spent two days in the 
schools. One day was spent in a Non-Provided school. The 
building was very old; buildings had been erected so near to 
it, that what was at one time the playgrounds, had entirely 
disappeared. 

There was no definite arrangement of school rooms, nor of 
halls. Some of the rooms had doors on either side, which 
opened into other school rooms. 

Desks were of a pattern which resembled those in this coun- 
try many years ago. They were long enough to accommo- 
date five pupils. When a pupil sitting in the "middle" wished 
to leave his seat, it was necessary for the pupils sitting be- 
tween him and the end of the seat to rise, thus allowing him 
to pass. During a lesson in penmanship, five ink bottles were 
arranged on top of the desk to accommodate the pupils. There 
were no blackboards in any of the rooms; small boards on 
easels for the teachers were the only provisions made along this 
line. In some of the rooms, two teachers were at work; the 
enrollment was so great that one teacher could not possibly 
handle the situation. 

Taking one of the classes at the request of the headmaster, 
I soon discovered that these pupils were no better informed 



106 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

concerning our country than the pupils of London. This was 
a class in the Ex- VII standard. While talking about the con- 
tinent south of us I had occasion to name the Amazon river; 
I said something about it and told the pupils it commenced 
with A-m-a-z-o- and asked for the last letter, but none of them 
could finish the word. Several references to our own country 
produced like results. 

Giving the pupils an opportunity to question me, they ask- 
ed: "Are there any buffaloes in St. Louis?" "Are the Indians 
very thick around there?" 

One day was spent in a Council school, where the head- 
master was a coopted member of the Educational Committee. 
The headmaster in introducing me to his highest standard said : 
"Children we have with us an American school master; he 
comes from a country which rebelled against us a long time 
ago. I suppose he has no illfeeling towards any of us; we 
should like to have him talk to us for awhile." Somewhat 
embarrassed by such an introduction, I assured them that the 
Revolutionary war was over; that since we spoke the same 
language, had interests very much in common, were of the 
same blood, etc., that we had forgotten past differences and 
that we looked upon England as our best supporter in our 
efforts to further civilization throughout the world. 

I found the same regulations existing here as exist in the 
London schools; the same preparation for the yearly com- 
petitive test in February, and the same provision for the 
"Evening Continuation Schools." 

In my talk to the pupils I found them no better informed 
concerning America and her people than the pupils of Lon- 
don schools. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 107 

Since all public schools in Great Britain are regulated by 
His Majesty's Code, we should expect great uniformity in 
what are considered essentials. 



SPECIAL FEATURES. 



Swimming Lessons. 

The English children are given lessons in swimming as a 
portion of the regular school work. With the coming of the 
tide in the Thames river come hundreds of vessels of all de- 
scriptions, each attempting to gain some advantage over ad- 
jacent vessels in passing given points, rounding curves, pass- 
ing locks, etc., etc. "Watching this daily procession brings 
very forcibly to the mind of the spectator the dependence Eng- 
land must have on maritime commerce. No matter what the 
location of any English boy or girl may be, he or she lives near 
the sea. While in America we consider agriculture as the 
basis of our existence, in England everything seems to depend 
upon the sea. The boys and girls from babyhood see and 
hear things connected with ocean travel. Boys and men stand- 
ing upon the street corners talking over current topics, ap- 
parently from inherent tendencies, pick up a stick or block 
of wood and fashion some portion of a ship. In many of the 
shop windows may be seen models of vessels, which must have 
required months to construct; yet this is done not from a re- 
munerative motive, but to satisfy a desire which seems a fun- 
damental characteristic of the Britisher. If a boy reads the 
daily papers, he sees as much news based on ocean travel 
as he does that connected with the land. When he goes to 
market and returns with food products for the evening meal, 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDNO SCHOOLS 109 

he is reminded of his debt to the ocean, the medium through 
which his very life is sustained. 

Life-saving stations are as commonplace to English school 
boys and girls as the sign "keep off the grass" is to the Amer- 
ican city children. Since the lives of all England's people 
are so closely connected with the water, it is a necessary part 
of each child's education that he knows not only how to pre- 
serve his own life in cases of emergency, but to assist in the 
saving of others. England is meeting this demand upon her 
by placing in the time table of the schools, a certain period 
each week, for lessons in swimming. The lessons in many in- 
stances are given at the public swimming centers, for which 
the London County Council pays two cents per head for each 
lesson. Lessons are also given in life-saving, medals being 
presented to those performing in a manner which justifies such 
recognition. 

ORGANIZED PLAY. 

England recognizes the force of organized plays and games 
in mental development. His Majesty's Code provides for 
"properly organized games under competent supervision and 
instruction" and specifies that "the period so occupied must 
be confined to one afternoon in each week and must not be less 
than one half hour or more than two consecutive hours. ' ' Mr. 
P. Elston, assistant master of the Broomsleigh street L. C. C. 
schools says: "If then, as we have abundant evidence to prove 
play is training, physical, hygienic, intellectual, social and 
moral, the school, which accommodates the child during the 
most profitable hours of its life should certainly encourage 
and develop the self-control and self-expression which play 
fosters. Of all the 'ologies which constitute the qualifications 



110 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

of the elementary school teacher, none is more important than 
the one for which he gets no special certificate from the Board 
of Education — Boyology. The ideal teacher must diagnose 
like a doctor, lecture like a university professor, correct like 
a father, cajole like a mother, and yet look upon each of his 
pupils as a sort of younger brother. At no time does a boy 
reveal himself as he really is as he does when at play, and the 
playground will clear up for the practical student of Boyology 
much that is obscure in the classroom." 

Several schools use a central playing field, each school ar- 
ranging its time table so that no conflict results. Schools so 
situated that they cannot have the privilege of a playing field, 
use either the school halls or the school yard for organized 
play. 

This organized play is not a kind of appendix to the regular 
course of study, but an integral part of it; a portion of the 
regular school period is utilized in this manner. Several 
times while passing through a building and finding a vacant 
room, an inquiry would bring the response: "This room has 
gone to the playing field." 

In many of the schools they do not have the co-operative 
plan which is in vogue in America. Each teacher accom- 
panies his pupils to the yard and when the bell is rung call- 
ing the pupils from their play, he leaves his room, goes to the 
school grounds and forms his pupils into line ready for pass- 
ing into the building. The headmaster announces the rooms 
which are to pass ; while the other pupils are waiting, instead 
of using this time in "standing still" the teachers utilize the 
opportunity for additional military drill. "Right-face," "for- 
ward-march", "double time", etc., may be heard coming from 
the grounds, while other teachers are giving exercises in phy- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 111 

sieal culture by calling upon the pupils "arms forward, up- 
ward, down", etc. This continues until the time comes for 
each particular room to march into the building. The head- 
master explained it on this wise: "A boy who will not do 
something, when he has nothing to do, is a proper subject for 
the mentally deficient school. That we may have control over 
this "something" which our pupils must do, we give these ex- 
ercises while waiting for the time to pass to work." 

STORE DEPARTMENT. 

I visited the Store Department where are kept samples of 
text books, prize books and all school materials. I spent two 
hours in examining texts in arithmetic, supplementary read- 
ing, etc. I found many texts in all school subjects, any of 
which might be supplied to the different schools on order of 
the headmaster, providing a "limit" for that school had not 
been reached. In examining the questions answered by some 
of the teachers, it will be observed that the text books in dif- 
ferent schools need not be uniform. The School Management 
Code specifies that "absolute liberty is given to Head Teachers 
in their selection of reading and other books and articles from 
the requisition list, and their choice once having been made, 
they will be held responsible for the selection, and no question 
of exchange will be entertained except for the most weighty 
reasons." 

WORK IN PLASTICINE. 

In the Infant schools I saw some splendid work in modeling; 
bird's nests, flowers, insects, etc., were all well modeled. Clay 
is not used in the English schools for this work. Plasticine is 



112 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

the material in use and accounts in a great measure for the 
results obtained. This substance is made in five colors; has 
the texture of clay; does not soil the hands nor clothing; is 
always ready for use. The fact that a pupil may more nearly 
represent a flower or anything he wishes to model, by using 
the different colors adds greatly to his interest which increas- 
es his ability in this kind of hand work. Since we believe that 
a pupil never thoroughly understands a thing until he does it, 
it might be well for us to give some attention to this new model- 
ing material. 

HONOR BOARDS. 

In many of the schools may be seen "Honour Boards" con- 
taining the names of pupils who have won scholarships in the 
examinations conducted by the L. C. C. A reference to these 
examinations and the few who may obtain scholarships enti- 
tling them to further opportunities for educational progress, 
will help us to understand the intensity of this competition and 
the feeling of pride which any school may have which can 
point to five or six names on the honor board. The Board of 
Education "has also approved the practice of inscribing on 
the walls of a school the name and record of any former schol- 
ars who have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism and 
self-sacrifice." 

NATURE STUDY SUPPLIES. 

Since the L. C. C. has control of all city parks, and also of all 
the public schools in London it is an easy matter to provide 
the schools with specimens of leaves, twigs, flowers, etc., for 
drawing and nature study. The headmaster makes a requisi- 
tion for these supplies and the park commissionei * send to the 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 113 

different schools the material they require. Whether or not it 
is best for the L. C. C. to have control of the educational ma- 
chinery in this particular case it is a great advantage to the 
schools. 

MANUAL TRAINING. 

The work in manual training deserves special notice. In 
too many American schools manual training is considered sup- 
plementary to the regular school work. Of course we all agree 
now that it has an educational value — the application of prin- 
ciples learned in an abstract manner in the different grades. 
What relation, if any, does our manual training bear to the reg- 
ular school course? What articulation is there between man- 
ual training and other school subjects? What relation has 
drawing to manual training? What incentive has a pupil in 
the drawing class to interpret his lines, angles, shading, etc., 
which too often he places upon his paper with no desire to in- 
terpret? What is to be done with this drawing except it be 
"handed in" graded and returned to the pupil? On the other 
hand, is it not possible that a pupil may work at the bench for 
months, following directions, producing splendid results and 
yet fail to secure all that power which manual training in pub- 
lic schools is intended to give? While manual training is a 
training in hand and arm manipulation, and theoretically in 
developing brain power, may we not give too much attention 
to the former, taking it for granted that the latter will neces- 
sarily follow? 

The work I observed in manual training in the English 
schools was particularly good, the methods employed are alon- 
approved pedagogical lines, and no doubt have a great in- 
fluence in tb# general mental training of the children. While 



114 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

the presentation of the work varies in different schools, and in 
different grades, yet one or two fundamentals obtain in every 
school. 

The manual training period occupies one-half day in each 
week. At least one- third of the time is given to drawing, the 
other two-thirds to execution. The pupils are given an object 
to draw, paying particular attention to prominent lines, angles, 
etc. They are also expected to know what the lines in the 
drawing represent in the object. After this drawing is done 
to the satisfaction of the manual training instructor, the ob- 
jects are taken from the pupils and placed in a case. The pu- 
pils are then required to take this drawing to the bench, se- 
lect the material necessary for the construction of the object 
represented in the drawing and commence work. If the pupil 
can interpret his drawing he has but to be careful in hand 
manipulation and in thinking to reproduce the object from 
which the drawing was made. If he cannot read his drawing, 
he is required to take a seat at his drawing board, compare 
the object with his drawing, study the meaning of the points 
in the drawing which he could not interpret, return to the 
bench and continue his work. 

After the project has been completed, he takes it to the in- 
structor who first compares it with the drawing, seeing if it is 
properly constructed according to the ratio agreed upon; if it 
meets this test, well enough, if not, the pupil selects other raw 
material, takes his place at the bench and commences work 
anew, holding in his memory the mistakes he made in project 
number one. If the first project completed meets the test in 
dimensions, but exhibits bad workmanship, the pupil is re- 
quired to proceed in the same manner that he did when the 
proper dimensions were not observed. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 115 

At other times the pupils are given exercises in dictation; 
the instructor describes the object he has in mind, giving the 
pupils the necessary points for its representation on the draw- 
ing board. "With this drawing he proceeds as before, being 
governed by the same regulations. 

No pupil is permitted to make an article that he has not 
first represented in his drawing book. If he really wants to 
construct some particular thing, and knows that a picture of 
it must first appear in his drawing book, it adds greatly to his 
desire to overcome any obstacles in drawing which might have 
been a hindrance in that subject. Working from drawings of 
this character not only tends to increase concentration of 
thought, accuracy, observation, etc., but acts as a stimulus to 
the pupil in his effort to interpret representations of material 
things in his other books, viz., reading, arithmetic, geography, 
history, etc. 

I examined many of the drawing books in the classes, and 
in several instances compared the finished product with the 
drawing. In every case — in lower grades — the object was the 
exact size of the drawing. 

This method also increases the constructive proclivity which 
any pupil may possess. He wishes to make a certain article, 
but before attempting it he must show a working drawing of 
it to his instructor; not only one view, but all views necessary 
for its comprehension by the teacher, in order that the teacher 
may intelligently supervise its construction. Brevity in this 
report, prevents enlarging upon this topic and its necessary cor- 
relation with other school subjects. 

INFANT DISMISSAL. 
While the Infant schools are dismissed in the afternoon at 
an earlier hour than the senior departments, this does not mean 



116 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

that all pupils are dismissed. The older pupils in the classes, 
strong in body, yet failing to keep pace with the work pre- 
scribed for them, these are retained until the senior dismissal, 
that the teacher may give them extra help. Thirty minutes de- 
voted each day to possibly three or four pupils means much 
in individual attention that cannot be given during regular 
class exercises. Whether or not this is done is not left to 
the discretion of the teachers; this condition is met by the L. 
C. C. in their regulations for the schools. 

MUSIC. 

They have no supervisor of music in the London schools ; the 
work in this subject I considered rather mediocre. While I 
heard some good singing, yet its manner of presentation was 
not calculated to promote mental development. The system in 
vogue is what is known as the "Tonic Sol-Fa, " and requires 
nothing on the part of the pupils except a knowledge of the 
scale, and the letter standing for the names of the syllables. 
The song books contain no notes; in lieu of these are the let- 
ters of the scale, each marked in such a manner that the pupil 
may know whether it receives one, two or three beats. With 
this system a pupil can sing any song at sight, and with very 
little mental energy expended. In Middlesboro the headmas- 
ter said they taught the "Tonic Sol-Fa" and the system in 
use in America, but the pupils in his Ex- VII standard could 
not meet the test. Examining the song books in a number of 
the churches and finding the notes written as we have them 
in this country I cannot understand why the "Tonic Sol-Fa" 
system is taught in the schools. One of these song books may 
be seen at the Superintendent's office. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 117 

DICTATION. 
In all schools, in all grades, I found much attention given 
to Dictation exercises. Seeing the stress that is placed upon 
this work by our English cousins I decided to give it special 
attention and test its worth. I am now convinced that for 
teaching penmanship, punctuation, capitalization, paragraph- 
ing, composition and technical grammar the dictation exercis- 
es furnish the best possible basis. For the application of prin- 
ciples it furnishes the same opportunity that manual trainin 
does in its department. Like all other subjects the teacht 
must know exactly what he wants and make this very cle 
to the pupils; with proper selections, presented in a logi 
manner much real teaching can be accomplished. During 
past ten months we have used the dictation exercises in 
school and the sixteen teachers are a unit in their op-* 
of its great value. 

EDUCATION COMMITTEES. 

The Education Committee of the L. C. C. keeps ii 
with the schools through reports received from cor 
appointed for this purpose. There are several loc 
mittees, from each of which a central committeeman is 
the former committees meet once each month, the cen 
mittee meets four times each year. The headmast; 
headmistresses' committees are separate, yet two > 
meetings of these officials are held each year. 

SCHOOL LIBRAEIES. 

For supporting the school libraries an allowance is 
the L. C. C. of one cent per head, average attendai 
school for that year. The headmaster knowing his . 



118 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

for library books, goes to the store department and makes a 
selection of the books best suited for the pupils under his care. 

CHILD LABOR LAWS. 

The by-laws concerning the employment of children are very 

specific and voluminous. Among other prohibitions noted are : 

"No girl under 16 may be employed in or carry on street trad- 

ng except in the company of her parents or guardian." "A 

oy between the age of 11 and 16 shall, while engaged in street 

ading wear a badge, provided by the L. C. C, on the upper 

"t of the right arm in such a manner as to be conspicuous. 

London one never sees small boys selling newspapers to 

in money with which they may buy cigarettes or attend 

-g picture shows. The fact that boys from 11 to 16 years 

must appear before an officer, and be questioned by him 

receiving a badge permitting them to sell papers or do 

id of street trading no doubt reduces truancy and juve- 

ne. These badges are the property of the council, and 

, be loaned, sold or transferred. On the back of each 

5 the signature of the boy to whom it is issued. Of- 

ly at any time request a boy to prove his right to the 

y signing' his name in the presence of the officer. 

HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT. 

Girls' school they have a text known as "Household 
lent." There are thirty-five chapters dealing with 

ects as: ventilation, care of rooms, care of clothing, 
)f accounts, marketing, how to set a table, darning, 

cutting out from patterns, etc. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 119 

ENGLISH TEXT BOOKS. 

The English text books are not on a par with American 
books in material nor workmanship. This may be accounted 
for when we know that the publishers must deal with the L. C. 
C. authorities instead of the public. Many of the texts are 
printed on poor paper, and the binding of a majority is very 
poor, many times paper or flexible cloth. The illustrations 
in many of these books are similar to those appearing in our 
texts a half-century ago. Samples of these books may be 
seen at the Superintendent's office. 

Our country being new, our pupils do not have such a mo- 
mentous task in studying the "administrations" as their Eng- 
lish cousins have in studying the "periods." As might be 
expected nearly all space in the histories is given to Great 
Britain and her immediate connections; in the Oxford and 
Cambridge English History, the Revolutionary war is dis- 
posed of in three paragraphs. In the "New Historical Read- 
ers" for standards VI and VII the American war is given 
two and one-half pages. 

In geography we find a similar condition; many of the texts 
for intermediate and upper grades contain information on the 
British Isles only. McDougall's Geography of the British 
Isles, a book of 64 pages, used in the upper standards, sticks 
closely to things within the Island. "In Arnold's Home & 
Abroad Readers", a book of 224 pages for the VI standard 
we find almost all countries considered except the United 
States. "We find 27 pages given to South America, six pages 
to Mexico and Central America while under Foreign Cities, 
New York is given four pages and to Chicago two pages. In 
the Oxford & Cambridge Geography which considers every 



120 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

country in the world, one-half page is devoted to the United 
States and seven pages to the western hemisphere. 

In my talks to the pupils I considered them very poorly 
informed concerning America and her people ; it was diffi- 
cult to mention anything aside from New York which elicited 
any intelligent questions or answers. To determine the cause 
for this condition I collected some texts in geography and ex- 
amined them with the result stated above. 

EVENING CONTINUATION SCHOOLS. 

London has many "Evening Continuation Schools", or 
schools where pupils may attend who work during the day, 
or those who have reached the age limit in the day schools, 
and therefore are not eligible in the public schools. Large 
posters announcing the opening of the evening schools were 
placed at almost every school I visited. Tuition at these 
schools is very reasonable; one shilling per term being the 
average charge for pupils doing elementary work. These 
schools range in grade from the elementary school to work 
done by the best colleges. Since these schools did not open 
until the 23rd., of September I had no opportunity of inspect- 
ing the work. 

The L. C. C. arranges for and bears all expenses of "Evening 
Courses for Teachers." The prospectus states: "These courses 
are open without fee to teachers in London schools, whether 
elementary, secondary or technical, and are intended to offer 
to teachers in the various types of schools opportunities for 
developing their knowledge of different subjects and of coming 
into contact with those who have made a special study of the 
subjects in question." 

Among the subjects considered I noticed Art, Education, 
English Language, Geography, History, Handicraft, Mathe- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 121 

matics, Modern Languages, Physical Education, Science, etc. 
The courses consist of from five to twenty-five lectures. The 
classes are conducted on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and 
Thursday evenings, and on Saturday mornings. From the 
syllabi the work compares favorably with that done by the 
University of Chicago, in their University Extension Courses. 

ATTITUDE OF BRITISH TEACHERS. 

I believe the majority of American teachers look upon their 
work very much as did the missionaries upon theirs in the 
early history of our country; there is more work to be done 
than can be executed in the regular school period. Many hours 
must be given in addition to the time before 9:00 a. m. and 
after 3:30 p. m. The Mosley Commission commented favor- 
ably upon the attitude of the American teacher towards his 
school work — time, energy, money — his very existence seemed 
to this commission to be at the service of his pupils. 

It seemed to me that the majority of the English teachers 
bore the same relation to their work that many men employed 
upon public works exhibit; this may be a matter of custom, 
or the result of too many specific directions in the School 
Management Code; again, there is too much inspection — too 
much examination of things immaterial — to make the teacher 
feel that he has any responsibility above that specified in the 
regulations. The teachers, I fear are working for the gov- 
ernment and the L. C. C. instead of for and with the pupils. 

Wishing to know more of the schools of "special difficulty" 
— schools where the pupils have a record for insubordination, 
I spent one afternoon with one of the headmasters of these 
schools. At the close of the session I was making prepara- 
tions for a kind of grand jury examination, when to my sur- 
prise the headmaster informed me that he went home at the 



1222 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

close of school. Not wishing to lose the only opportunity I 
had for further knowledge of his work, I decided to leave the 
building with him. Arriving at the tramway he talked to me 
until the first car came along, when he bade me good bye and 
jumped upon the car. He was very kind, courteous and con- 
siderate in all his ways; he intended no breach of etiquette 
and I considered that none had been made, after I discovered 
that school buildings are deserted within a few minutes after 
the close of school. It is not unusual to see the teachers with 
hats and coats on, standing in line ready to pass from the 
building with the pupils at the afternoon dismissal. The 
headmaster and teacher who prepared the letters for me, and 
left within two minutes after school closed were only doing 
what is a daily custom, with one exception, in all of the schools 
that I visited. 



BRITISH REPORT OF AMERICAN SCHOOLS. 



I have practically refrained from criticising the British 
schools and the British school system for two reasons: first I 
prefer giving the reader a true picture of the schools as they 
appeared to me and let him from study and comparison, arrive 
at his own conclusions ; second, the reports of the specialists un- 
der the Mosley Commission deal with important points so se- 
verely, that further comment is unnecessary. 

These men in reporting on the American schools and the 
American school system, were at the same time making rather 
an exhaustive report on British schools and the British school 
system. It is to be expected that the phases of school work 
and school life which attracted attention sufficiently to cause 
either a mental or written memorandum to be made, are the 
points no doubt to which the Commissioners were unaccustom- 
ed in their home schools. 

In order that the reader may see the American schools 
from a British standpoint, and incidently the Briton's estima- 
tion of his own schools, we shall quote, by permission of Mr. 
Mosely, quite extensively from the members constituting the 
Commission. 

These Commissioners found what they considered defects in 
our school system and school life, but since this has no bear- 
ing on the report of English schools, none of these criticisms 
are included in the excerpts. 

Alfred Mosely has done a great service for his country. 



124 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

England has a record for conservatism, so he may not live to 
fully realize the results of his altruistic efforts. That he has 
initiated a force which must result in great and lasting good, 
there is no doubt. We are sure that men and women of fu- 
ture generations will sing the praises of this far-seeing philan- 
thropist. Happy are they who see in him the great, good 
and wise benefactor that he is. May he, unlike Columbus, 
realize to some extent the appreciation of his fellowman. 



EXCERPTS FROM THE REPORTS OF THE MOSELY 
EDUCATIONAL COMMISSION. 



The teachers seem fired with enthusiasm, and there is a 
thirst for knowledge shown by pupils of all ages which is 
largely lacking in our own country. 

American boys remain in school much longer than is the 
case here, often, in addition, passing through to the secondary 
schools and colleges at little or no expense to their parents or 
themselves. 

My observation led me to believe that the average American 

boy when he leaves school is infinitely better fitted for his 
vocation and struggle in life than the English boy. 

Another point that struck me was the intense belief of the 
Americans in the education of the masses. 

The types of men that the educational methods of America 
have developed appear to me to be entirely different from what 
we produce at home. 

Personally I credit the American nation with an intense 
ambition not only to raise themselves individually, but also 
to use their efforts for the raising of their fellows and for the 
furtherance of civilization. 

Personally I should favor the employment of female teach- 
ers for both boys and girls up to the age of, say, twelve years. 

What struck me in going through the public schools, wheth- 



126 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

er primary or college, of the United States was the success 
attained in making the scholars self-reliant, in bringing out 
their individual qualities and teaching them to reason. In 
some respects this seems to me to be the most important factor 
of all in American education, and I think it largely accounts 
for the success of the pupils in after life. 

I am an intense believer in the ability and stability of the 
Briton but he cannot successfully face the competition of the 
world with the obsolete weapons now at his command. 

— Alfred Mosely. 

It is very possible that American children may not acquire 
the same amount of "book" knowledge as children do in 
English schools, but they undoubtedly learn to apply what 
they do know much more successfully than is generally the 
case here. 

In connection with the schools there is no prize system or 
scholarships, the belief being that educationally such a system 
is undesirable. 

In the administration of education there is greater elasticity 
than in England. There is no Central Department dealing 
with the nation as a whole. 

The free schools are largely used by all classes. The son 
of the wealthy man sits in the same class with the son of the 
laborer. In Washington we saw the son of the President of the 
United States, two grandsons of the late President Garfield 
and many children of members of Congress sitting and work- 
ing in the same classes as the children of coachmen, garden- 
ers, laborers, etc. Not the slightest difference is observed in 
regard to these children; they mix in the classes and play- 
grounds on terms of perfect equality. 

— Arthur Anderton. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 127 

It seemed to me that American teachers are more successful 
than our own in training intelligence, in teaching thinking, in 
bringing out self-expression, in encouraging inquiry. 

Again and again I found the teacher, with a freedom and 
familiarity which would seem strange in England, place him- 
self, as it were, alongside his pupils and together they would 
work out the problem on which they were engaged. 

In comparison with America, secondary education in Eng- 
land is woefully inadequate and incomplete. 

I believe also that we teach too much from books; every- 
thing in school tends to become too stereotyped. After all the 
most important lessons are not learned from books at all, 
but they may be learned from the character and personality 
of the teacher. — Arthur W. Black. 

In the equipment of our schools we are also far behind our 
New York friends. On the front wall facing the scholars, 
and for some distance down each side, there are fixed slates of 
an excellent quality for teaching purposes. No easels for 
blackboards were seen in any school. The classes are smaller 
than we generally find at home, it being unusual to find classes 
with much over 40 in them. The children speak with a free- 
dom and correctness which our children at home often lack. 
I spent some time in examining the school books used, not 
only in New York but in the other schools in the States, and 
here again there is no "cheeseparing" policy adopted, but the 
books supplied in arithmetic, history, geography, etc., are the 
ordinary text books of the country, well bound, and at consid- 
erable cost, with almost the entire absence of the cheap, 
flimsy books sometimes forced into the schools in our own 
country. 

In reading the classes have a greater variety than we have. 



128 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

I feel sure that my fellow Commissioners will all agree 
that the public attitude towards education in the United 
States is much better than at home. 

America is undoubtedly far in advance of this country in 
that its education is graded and co-ordinated from the kinder- 
garten to the university, and that it is entirely free. 

— Harry Coivard. 

Programmes of study, no matter how well drawn, will never 
raise education to a high standard unless the teacher is trained 
for his duties. This the American educational authorities 
realize thoroughly. 

It was noticeable in the case of all these girl artisans that 
they brought with them to their duties those habits of clean- 
liness, neatness and order in their persons and their work, 
which it is a chief aim of the American school to inculcate and 
to form. — T. A. Finlay. 

The teachers are in touch with the world of affairs to a de- 
gree that is quite unknown in Great Britain. 

I think that one general observation that was made by 
many of the Commissioners is worth recording, namely, that 
the relations of boys and girls in and out of school, of men 
and women students in the universities, as well as of men and 
women in the everyday walks of life, appeared to be more 
natural than in this country. 

It is a fundamental principle in American universities that 
the man who is fit to teach is also to be trusted to examine 
his own students. The external examiner and the external ex- 
amination system is practically unknown in the United States. 

The American teacher thinks of his functions as a teacher 
and director of studies, while the British teacher is driven by 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 129 

force of circumstances to conceive and direct his work en- 
tirely in terms of examination. 

The American teacher cares for the development of his 
class as a whole, and not mainly for that of those who will do 
him the most credit in answering the questions of an outsider. 

The evidence of the value of a course of study of fixed dura- 
tion carefully graded and carefully watched at every turn is a 
signal triumph as compared with the sort of racehorse method 
that turns our schools into training grounds for the examina- 
tion race that occupies a few days at the end of a boy's school 
career, and upon which his future is made to depend to an 
alarming extent. It is perhaps one of the most noteworthy 
contributions of America to educational progress. 

To dignify the teaching profession is a certain way of mak- 
ing it strong. To deprive it of dignity by showing lack of 
trust in it by all sorts of rules and regulations and by out- 
side restrictions and examinations is a sure way to degrade it, 
and so to diminish its influence for good in the country. 

In History and Civics as in Literature, the methods seem to 
result in giving to the pupils a truer insight, a wider and larger 
grasp of historical movements than the methods used in this 
country. Everything that can be done to make the teaching 
realistic and vivid in the form of models, pictures, diagrams, 
maps and charts seems to be done in the best-equipped schools. 

— T. Gregory Foster. 

Education of all sorts, but especially higher education, is 
much more widely appreciated in America than in England, 
by employers, by parents, and by students themselves. It is, 
in its higher forms much more widely spread than with us, 
and both high schools and universities are growing with a 



130 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

rapidity of which we have as yet no experience, and hardly 
even hope. 

America has realized more widely than we have done that 
educational short-cuts are a failure. 

AVe have much to learn from America as to the proper place 
and use of English in our schools. 

Our pestilent competitive examination system has done much 
harm in destroying this attitude of mind, not in the best stu- 
dents perhaps, but in the second best, who can be loaded up to 
the requisite standard, but cannot attain it in a natural healthy 
fashion. 

Teachers, I think, on the whole take their work more seri- 
ously than do ours. 

At present the public high school attended by rich and poor 
alike, is the strength and glory of the west. 

A notable point is the practice of allowing all teachers a day 
or a half-day a term, sometimes more, free for visiting schools. 

—W. C. Fletcher. 

In no case are there outside examiners. The question 
whether or not a student can pass in any subject is decided by 
his teacher alone, and is decided not only by a separate exam- 
ination, but also by the nature of the work done by the stu- 
dent throughout the term. 

Then also it must be remembered that from his earliest youth 
the American boy has been taught how to express himself in 
public, has been encouraged by the system of recitations to 
be able at any moment to stand upon his feet and argue out a 
question. 

To my mind two of the most striking points about the labor- 
atory instruction of all kinds in the States is the energy and 
activity displayed by the teachers, their earnest endeavor to 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 131 

do their utmost without sparing themselves, and the determin- 
ation of the students to be taught. 

The building of laboratories, the activity going on in the 
States, makes one ashamed of one's own country. 

These laboratories, and indeed the whole provision made for 
teaching experimental psychology in the States, are on a 
scale the magnitude of which is astonishing to anyone coming 
from England and knowing how neglected this subject is in 
almost every English school. — W. H. Gaskell. 

Social emergence, often stifled by birth and circumstances 
in our close insular atmosphere, is a plant which has never 
been nipped or dwarfed in the ampler oxygen of the United 
States. 

The openness in which teaching is conducted in the United 
States is one of its most pleasing points. Our Commissioners 
were welcomed in every class-room. 

I observed strongly in the elementary schools, perhaps not 
so clearly in the secondary schools, a grasp on the part of the 
teacher of the scientific principle of teaching. 

The methods of teaching, on the whole, are admirably con- 
ceived. There is no cramming; there is a great deal of "elici- 
tation". Pupils even in classical lessons are taught to ask the 
reason why, and their intelligence is drawn out ; facts are not 
stuffed in. 

The teaching of English was remarkably good, and far out- 
strips anything of which we can boast. 

The teaching of English literature in the upper classes of 
secondary schools is of the most masterly kind, and I have 
heard women teachers who are certainly not behind men teach- 
ers in the power of exciting interest in this most important 
subject of education. 



132 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

The inventive power of the American people is pre-eminent 
among the nations of the world. 

The connection between mind and hand is recognized there 
to an extent which preconceived prejudices have hitherto ren- 
dered impossible in England. 

Indolence is viewed from quite a different standpoint than 
obtains nearer home. An American cannot understand that 
attitude of mind consecrated by centuries of aristrocratic 
"white-handedness", which regards it as "bad form" to work 
and not seldom seeks in after life to persecute those who set 
themselves to master the details of the profession in which 
they have undertaken to serve their country. 

— H. B. Gray. 

It must never be forgotten that since secondary education 
is free though not compulsory, a vastly higher proportion of 
the population receive it than with us. 

The completeness of the facilities for technical training, day 
or evening, theoretical and practical, we cannot rival. 

A far larger proportion attends, and whole classes of chil- 
dren get a high school education who with us see the last o£ 
direct instruction at 13. I regard the system of high schools 
as excellent and valuable. 

In personal enterprise the young American is far ahead. A 
young Englishman cast loose in the world is likely to be still 
seeking a suitable berth when the American is emerging from 
his second bankruptcy for half a million. 

— W. P. Groser. 

In the States there is a wonderful sequence of educational 
facilities placed within the reach of every child, leading from 
the primary school to the university, and, excepting in the 
highest stages, entirely free. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 133 

In speaking of the inefficiency of the elementary schools in 
England Mr. Heape says: Many causes doubtless contribute, 
amongst them being the still lingering influence of the bane- 
ful methods which were necessitated by the system of payment 
by results now happily abolished. 

Great importance is attached, and that increasingly so, to the 
inclusion of educational handiwork in the curricula of the 
schools, from the kindergarten up to the high school. This 
is a matter of great significance and importance. If this is 
necessary or advisable in America it is more so for England, 
where the qualities that this branch of education stimulates 
are just those in which we are lacking. 

The various kinds of work, carpentry, cookery, sewing and 
weaving are selected as involving different kinds of skill, and 
demanding different types of intellectual aptitude on the part 
of the child, and because they represent some of the most im- 
portant activities of the everyday outside world. He gets also 
the training of the sense organs, of touch, of sight, and the 
ability to co-ordinate eye and hand. He gets healthy exer- 
cise ; for the child demands a much larger amount of physical 
activity than the formal program of the ordinary school per- 
mits. There is also a continual appeal to memory, to judgment 
in adapting ends to means, a training in habits of order, in- 
dustry, and neatness in the care of tools and utensils, and in 
doing things in a systematic instead of haphazard way. The 
everyday work of the school shows that learning may, even 
with little children lay hold upon the substance of truth that 
nourishes the spirit, and yet the forms of knowledge be ob- 
served and cultivated; and that growth may be genuine and 
thorough and yet a delight. 

Nearly every class room is surrounded by wall slates, and 



13 4 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

on these the scholars are accustomed to draw, frequently mak- 
ing sketches of the characters about whom they are reading, 
and of the incidents narrated. By these means the power of 
accurate observation, which is so marked in young children, 
is cultivated, and the facility gained of its being recorded. 
It is a training in the co-ordination of eyes, brain, and hands 
of the utmost importance. 

They certainly vivify the teaching, arouse the keenest in- 
terest in the child, stimulate his originality, call out his pow- 
ers, increase his modes of expression, and, in addition to the 
actual knowledge acquired a real lively interest in the work 
is gained. 

If, as is now urged, educational handwork should be taught 
generally in all schools, it is evident that the only absolutely 
defensible ground upon which it can be so urged is its edu- 
cative value, and that this is not limited to the subject itself, 
but extends to the rest of the curriculum of the school. Fre- 
quent and most striking testimony to this effect was given 
in many of the towns visited by the Commission. Contact 
with concrete things enables children to grasp arithmetic, 
weights and measures, and many other subjects in a manner 
totally different from their lamentable failure to do so from the 
visual merely theoretical teaching. 

In the United States there is a very remarkable feature in 
connection with manual training which is unique and obtains 
in no other country, and that is the manual training high 
school. 

These principles thought out and adapted to our own re- 
quirements, seem to offer a means of counteracting the pres- 
ent tendency of our elementary school system to produce boys 
with no initiative or self-reliance, and with no desire to con- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 135 

tinue their education any longer than it is forced upon them. 

The most powerful factor in the education of the child, be 
the method or system whatever it may, is the personality of 
the teacher and the face to face contact with the child. 

There are more day students of technology at the Massa- 
chusetts Institute of Technology than there are in all the simi- 
lar institutions of this country put together. 

— Joseph R. Heape. 

From the first it was obvious that we were dealing with an 
entirely different kind of public opinion on education from 
that which prevails in England. 

The fourth impression I carried away with me was the ad- 
mirable way in which the completely free system of schooling 
was co-related and co-ordinated. 

This giving of a free education to all who desire it and can 
arrange for it is the one feature of the U. S. A. education 
which I desire to see reproduced among ourselves. 

As we went from room to room, in almost every school we 
visited we were struck by the large amount of initiative dis- 
played by the children, and this was encouraged by every 
means in the teacher's power. The children were taught to 
think, and their studies were intended to train them to observe, 
to imagine, to reason, to feel, to will and then express. 

As each child sits at a single desk, order is perhaps more 
easily obtained, but the very friendly relations between teach- 
er and pupil were really delightful to witness. It was the 
evident interest taken by each in the other. 

The plentiful supply of books both for teachers and pupils 
struck me as remarkable. The amount of home work done 
is more than we could obtain in England. Parents in America 
like to see what their children are doing in school, and make 



136 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

proper arrangements for the child to study at home. 

"Civics" as it is called, forms a prominent feature of al- 
most every school, elementary and otherwise. Books are used 
on this subject in every school, and far better books than I 
have seen on the subject at home. This teaching of Civics 
seemed to me admirable and might well be copied. The 
books used for teaching American patriotism would be a rev- 
elation to most of our authors, compilers and teachers. 

I noted that the classes were smaller than those I am ac- 
customed to see in London. Blackboards went round three 
sides of every class room. Single desks are universally used. 

The evening schools of New York seemed to be very well 
organized and extremely popular with the pupils. Moreover 
there was no fee charged in any of these evening schools. 

In conclusion I can only add that the spirit of enthusiasm 
for education common to all classes in America is the really 
formative cause of the immense strides which have been made 
in so many different directions in educational matters. This, 
alas! cannot be transported across the Atlantic and without it 
I fear all our attempts to improve education will meet with 
open or veiled hostility. It is only a minority in our own 
beloved land who really wish to see English folk a highly edu- 
cated race. — Arthur W. Jepson. 

For some years past the industrial world has become in- 
creasingly conscious of the fact that American engineers ex- 
hibit a certain superiority in their methods over their rivals of 
other nations, and it is no secret that the Transatlantic man- 
ufacturer is capturing the markets of the world. 

But more than we or any European nation have yet done she 
has entered upon many novel and interesting experiments 
which are gradually revolutionizing her teaching. More than 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 13 7 

we she takes account of the changed conditions in which men 
live to-day, and seeks to adapt her training to the current need. 

In Britain, owing partly to class and caste distinctions which 
do not hold to the same extent across the Atlantic, the impres- 
sion has got abroad that education only spoils the common 
workman and unfits him for his industrial position. 

The attitude in the States I found to be exactly the opposite 
of this. The educated youth will not only make a better 
citizen, but he will outstrip his more ignorant fellow in indus- 
trial efficiency, and in the long run leave him far behind. 

Coming now to the features of technical education supplied, 
it has to be noted that the students in the States are not in such 
a great hurry to get started as in this country. 

— Magnus Maclean. 

The opportunities for a sound general education up to the 
age of 17 or 18 and for efficient technical instruction, are 
more readily accessible to all than is at present the case in 
England. The average American has a decidedly better 
chance of self-improvement than the average Englishman. 
What is perhaps more important, he has a greater belief in 
the value of education. Good education and plenty of it, is no 
doubt helping already, and may yet help more in the future, 
to keep the Americans in the position of commercial suprem- 
acy that they are now winning for themselves. 

While the English manufacturer is considering whether it 
will be worth while to invest in some new labor-saving ap- 
pliance, the American has discarded his old machinery, put in 
the new, and begins to leave his rival behind. 

The early Dutch settlers brought over with them from the 
Netherland ideas of free popular education, which, so long as 
the English influence was paramount, bore little fruit. 



138 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

America has no "religious difficulty" and is comparatively 
free from the tyranny of examinations. Examination, useful 
and necessary within due limits as a test of progress, is unfit to 
be the main object of education. It is a good servant, but a 
bad master; and from its tyranny American educationists 
have wisely kept themselves free. The universal belief in edu- 
cation for its own sake has perhaps made it easier for them, 
than for us, to dispense with external motives. 

The absence of any horizontal stratification of society into 
different classes, with strongly marked barriers of habits, ideas, 
traditions and feelings has made it easier to regard, and to 
carry out, education as a continuous whole from the bottom to 
the top. They give an equal chance of a sound education to 
every boy or girl, irrespective of class, creed or means; and 
on the whole they arc successful. We claim to provide, not 
always with success, a superior article for those who can af- 
ford to pay for it. 

We had better first imitate them in making more general 
provision for the training of teachers. We also need to re- 
vise our conceptions of the value of such highly skilled work as 
teaching. — T. L. Papillon. 

Almost immediately after arriving in America, and still more 
after traveling in the vast fertile territories in the West and 
South. I began to realize that I was in the presence of some 
of the most potent forces which will, in the years to come, 
shape the destinies of the world. Nothing so excited my ad- 
miration and envy as the attitude of the general public with 
regard to education. 

One can hardly take up a newspaper, periodical, or maga- 
zine, without finding in it one or more paragraphs devoted to 
educational topics. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 139 

The general impression left upon my mind is, that to an ex- 
tent to which it is hard for an Englishman to realize, the 
Americans are determined that their educational system shall 
be thoroughly efficient, and that where efficiency and economy 
are in apparent conflict, it is economy which must give away. 
Moreover, to a very large extent in the East and South and 
almost entirely in the West, the children of all classes rich 
and poor, attend these free schools. It is, I believe, difficult to 
exaggerate the importance of this fact in the formation of 
American character and the promotion of efficiency in the 
schools. 

One feature I noticed in practically every school is that 
blackboards run right round each room at a height suitable 
for use by the children. These are constantly used, and it is 
not uncommon to see the entire class at work on them. 

Americans, however, are not yet fully alive to the excellent 
opportunities for educational work which the playgrounds and 
playing fields afford. 

In the majority of the States, I was struck with the culti- 
vation and refinement of the teachers, their enthusiasm for the 
profession, and readiness to better equip themselves for their 
work by private study, by attending classes throughout the 
year and summer courses at the universities during the vaca- 
tion. 

In a great many places, a practice which exists of period- 
ically sending the teachers to see the work done in other 
towns has been found very beneficial. I am convinced that if 
this were done more frequently in England, great improve- 
ments would result. 

In Liverpool, where I reside, I regret to say that it is by 
no means uncommon for one teacher to have under her charge, 



140 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

70, 80, 90 and, occasionally, even 100 children. 

In most American schools, although the children are won- 
derfully free from any direct control by the teacher, there is 
complete absence of anything approaching disorder. Disci- 
pline, there is, but it is from within, and not from without. 

The attitude of most American teachers to the children 
under their control seems to be that of a guide and friend 
rather than a ruler, with the result that the atmosphere of the 
school approximates to that of a good home, the children look 
happy, and appear to thoroughly enjoy their school life ; they 
are cheerful, self-reliant, and above all, alive and natural. 
It is delightful to hear, as I often did, the free and ready way 
in which the children spontaneously ask questions or offer 
suggestions, and the courteous, tactful manner in which the 
teachers answer them. 

There is I believe, no other department of school work in 
which we have so much to learn from America as this new 
spirit of school discipline. 

The problem which the American educators seem to me to be 
attempting to solve is, how to give the children those qualities 
which will make them good citizens and competent workers, 
men and women who will be resourceful, self-reliant, and 
adaptable, who will be able to observe accurately, record their 
observations correctly, compare, group, and infer justly from 
them, and express cogently the results of these mental opera- 
tions. 

I have spoken to many business men, English and American, 
who have offices or works on both sides of the Atlantic, and 
nearly all agreed that as a general rule the American boy on 
leaving school, even if he does not know more which he often 
does, is more intelligent, resourceful, adaptable, harder work- 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 141 

ing, and more anxious to contjnue to improve his education, 
than is the English boy of a corresponding age. 

The English boy too often thinks that he is only beginning 
his life when he leaves school, the time spent at school is some- 
thing that has to be gone through, and the sooner it is over, 
and he has completed his education, the better. 

I could not help noticing that the girls in America are, as a 
rule, more self-reliant and better able to take care of them- 
selves, and are treated with greater respect by men in America 
than they are in this country, and I am inclined to think that 
this is due to some extent to co-education. 

— Herbert R. Rathbone. 

In America patriotism belongs to the schools and every- 
one is proud of it; in England it is left to be desecrated by 
the music-halls, and a large section of our best social workers 
are ashamed of it — a condition of things neither wholesome 
nor safe. 

There is far more co-operation between teacher and pupil 
than with us. The master, indeed, is much more of a class 
leader than a class driver, and in no school did I observe the 
British tendency to regard each other as natural enemies. 
I often noticed that directions were given, even in a large, 
room, without raising the voice. 

There is a higher level of interest and intelligence in an 
American class than in an English one. 

Our schools are dominated by outside examinations, and or- 
ganized for the winning of certificates and scholarships. The 
public judges their success by the number they win ; the mas- 
ters, knowing that this is the test on which their professional 
reputation depends, ,are forced in self-defense to concentrate 
their attention on the picked pupils and to keep up a pace in 



142 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

classwork which will give their powers full scope. While the 
ultimate goal is still far off, a more immediate stimulus is 
supplied in the class prize. The ordinary pupil thus finds the 
work proceeds at a rate with which he cannot keep up, while 
the prize, the immediate goal of ambition, he knows to be ut- 
terly beyond his reach, however hard he works. Naturally, 
he soon gives up the struggle, and resigns himself to the con- 
viction that headwork is not for such as him. From this in- 
cubus the American schools are remarkably free. 

The aim of the American school is the education of all ; that 
of the English, the instruction of the few. 

As regards teaching the pupil how to consult libraries and 
find out things for himself, and fostering in him a taste for 
good literature there can be no reasonable doubt that the or- 
dinary American schoolboy is far ahead of his British or Cana- 
dian compeer. 

In speaking of Canadian schools Mr. Reichel says: The 
primary and secondary schools are under different authori- 
ties, with the necessary result of lack of co-ordination. 

The Urban schools are not so well equipped nor the teachers 
so well trained as in the States. 

The prize systems seems more in use, with the natural ac- 
companiments — the predominance of examinations and the 
tendency to emphasize instruction rather than education. 

The co-operative attitude of master and pupil and the quiet- 
ness and docility of the classes, which form such marked feat- 
ures of the American schools, are almost as little apparent in 
Canada as in England. 

— H. R. Reichel. 

One of the results which stare you in the face wherever 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 143 

you go is the fact that the school buildings form one of the 
most notable features of the architecture of American cities. 
The equipment of the institutions in those buildings is on a cor- 
responding scale of completeness, with which ours, whether 
public or private, cannot with few exceptions stand com- 
parison. 

I have noticed no signs of undue hurry in the school room. 
The teacher is in no hurry to have done with his class; he 
seems to set himself to do his work with deliberation. He has 
the leisure to give his pupils the best teaching of which he is 
capable ; he is not prevented from doing so by any pressure 
like that exercised in England by the ever-growing dimensions 
of our cramming system, which, like an octopus, threatens to 
strangle in its ubiquitous coils all that deserves to be called 
education. The moment you establish scholarships and prizes, 
to be awarded on the bare results of competitive examinations, 
the way is open for cramming and all its concomitant evils. 

For the States the problem is to keep out cram, and for us 
in England the much harder one of lopping off the hydra's 
head and so reducing its dimensions as to make it innocuous. 
It is beyond doubt one of the greatest difficulties which our 
grammar schools and our colleges have to face. 

I have recently been told with considerable indignation by 
a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society that before setting 
out to travel among the natives of distant portions of our 
Empire he naturally likes to know something about them, 
but that in order to get the information desired he has to 
visit either Washington or Berlin. Not only is such a state of 
things an obvious disgrace to us, but it may prove a source 
both of pecuniary loss and of political disaster. 

The cultured American is always popular among us, but 



14 4 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

not one half of his charm of manner and old-fashioned polite- 
ness is known to those who have not had the pleasure of mak- 
ing his acquaintance at home. An Anglo-Celtic nation which, 
while still in the making, has produced an Emerson and an 
Edgar Allen Poe, has a great future before it, not only in 
applied science and mechanics but also in letters and refine- 
ment and the Mother Country might do worse than take some 
wholesome lessons from so friendly and so promising a daugh- 
ter. — J. Rhys. 

The children of the rich and poor alike sit side by side in 
the common school, and there is thus a freedom of intercourse 
and community of interest set up which engenders mutual 
respect not only during childhood, but far on into life. 

In justice to the women teachers it should be said that the 
discipline and attention of the pupils was generally excellent. 

The secondary schools of America attracted the special at- 
tention of the Commission, because it is in this direction that 
English education has been allowed to drop so far behind and 
to remain so defective right down to the present time. 

The American parent believes in education and is convinced 
that it is essential to the material welfare and success of 
his children. 

It must be confessed that, so far as the study of science 
as applied to industry is concerned, our position at present 
is inferior to that of America. — W. Ripper. 

In the States we find an enthusiasm for education which we 
seek for in vain at home. 

The temper and patience and skill of the teachers is beyond 
praise. 

Civics, as a rule, are well taught; with us they are taught 
imperfectly, and in many cases quite disgracefully. 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 145 

In labor-saving machinery our kin across the sea are, of 
course, acknowledged experts. — Charles Rowley. 

It seems strange to an Englishman when first he goes into 
a school to hear (instead of a set lesson) the teacher throwing 
out a number of suggestions to the class for their discussion. 

Excursions into the country for botanical and geological 
purposes are frequently taken, and these are counted -as 
school work. 

Where we turn out ten highly qualified men, they turn out 
hundreds, and their trade reaps corresponding advantage. 

Speaking with great deference to those who have been en- 
gaged in the practical work of teaching I would suggest to 
them whether it is not possible to learn something as to method 
of teaching in the States. — A. J. Shepheard. 

Expense is not considered when a rotten manhood can be 
prevented and an honored citizen can be matured. 

Manual training forms almost the principal branch in Truant 
and Reformatory schools the object being, not the teaching 
of a trade, but the development of thought expression, muscu- 
lar control, and habits of order, neatness, accuracy and truth- 

The Americans are liberal in the use of their blackboard. 

— A. Edmund Spender. 

It has been filty remarked that the work of education con- 
stitutes the chief concern of the American people. 

One sees but very few children in American schools who 
are not well dressed and, apparently, very well fed. They are 
generally taller and heavier than British children of the same 
ages. 

It is customary in America for the children to sit at table to 
take their meals with the adult members of the family. All 



146 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

appear to eat very much more food than is usual in Great 
Britain. 

The teaching of Civics and of manual and mechanical train- 
ing begins at the infant stage. 

The children in the primary grades display a high degree of 
intelligence, and in every school I visited I was strongly im- 
pressed with the fact that they thoroughly understood what 
they had been taught in the various subjects. 

The public schools have undoubtedly reached a high degree 
of efficiency. 

The American city superintendents of education are enthu- 
siastic educationalists, but so are the whole of the class teach- 
ers and school principals. I was greatly impressed with the 
remarkable interest in their work, and in the children, display- 
ed by the teachers in every department of every school I vis- 
ited. 

The American ideal is to produce the most capable citizens, 
the person who can "do things", rather than the cultured 
gentleman of leisure. 

I may observe in passing that I believe the American people 
generally are less materialistic than are the British people, and 
that what is mistaken for materialism is more often the recog- 
nition of the necessity for the individual living by honorable 
labor, and the intense desire which seems to prevail every- 
where to cultivate one's powers to the utmost. 

One can trace the influence of the high school training in 
the manners and capacity of all the young people to be seen 
at work in the business places and factories in the United 
States. 

Curiously enough, no less than four-fifths of the pupils en- 
rolled in the International Correspondence School during the 



A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 147 

first two years, were British students. 

The average American engineer is without a superior, prob- 
ably without an equal in general ability, in the world. 

The supreme test of a nation's educational system is to be 
found in the quality of the citizens which it produces. That 
the average American is more efficient, industrially and com- 
mercially, than is the citizen of any other country is very gen- 
erally admitted. 

As the result of his superior education the American work- 
man requires less supervision and direction than is customary 
in this country. 

I am convinced from all that I have seen, that however great 
the achievements of the past have been, they are nothing com- 
pared with the progress which I believe will be made in the 
immediate future. — John Whitburn. 

When we get closer to Americans, we see that, in spite of 
all their apparent superficiality, their schools are turning out 
more active, business-like, hard-working, enterprising young 
men than either the English or the German schools — young men 
with greater ambition and self-reliance, and a greater ca- 
pacity for development, equally courageous in work, and 
more sober in their lives, with a higher sense of industrial 
integrity, an all-round greater pleasure in effort, and better 
humor in adversity. 

The democratising of every kind of education by placing it 
within everybody's reach free of cost, it is hoped by Ameri- 
cans, will promote adaptability, the absence of which in Great 
Britain is probably one of the causes of a pauperism which has 
no parallel in any other country. Another point which strikes 
the British visitor to the United States, in connection with edu- 



148 A FORTNIGHT IN LONDON SCHOOLS 

cation, is the constant preoccupation of the American educa- 
tionalist as to certain objects which are not usually considered 
in this country to be essential to education. Thus, every 
American teacher, primary as well as secondary, endeavors 
to infuse a current of good humor, of joy of life, into his or 
her pupils — a joy of life which never forsakes them. This ac- 
counts for the bright, smiling faces one encounters everywhere 
amongst American children and native-born Americans. The 
American teacher especially never loses sight of the greatest 
object of all child-training, preparation for adult life, the de- 
velopment to its fullest possible extent of the child's moral 
and physical capacities. — Thomas Barclay. 



MAR I i'3l I 



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